Legend of Zelda Time Loops
by Lord Circe
Summary: What happens when a Hero, a Villain, and a Princess, all start Looping through time? Wacky shenanigans, of course. Time Loops for the Legend of Zelda series, in the style of the Innortal Time Loops and Saphroneth's MLP Loops.
1. Chapter 1

LEGEND OF ZELDA TIME LOOPS: ACTIVATE!

Author Note: This story is a Time Loop story in the style of Innortal's original Infinite Time Loops, based on the continuations made by Saphroneth.

The divine computer-tree Yggdrasil, which underlies all of creation, is damaged. The various universes have been put into time loops to stabilize them. A single person from each Loop is chosen to be the Anchor, always aware of the Time Loops each time they Loop around. Other may Loop as well, but only the Anchor is always awake. On occasion, two people may act as Anchors, but in most cases, there is only one.

In the Legend of Zelda Universe, however, things are slightly different.

* * *

1.1

Epona smacked her head into her desk. Behind her, Susanoo looked over from where he was casually juggling swords, letting the blades fall and stab into the desk and floor around him.

"mrghn stpd tfrc lnsd dupi"

Susanoo leaned forward. "What was that, your desk is in the way."

Epona whirled around, her hair askew. "It's the stupid Triforce! Every projection says that if I try to loop one of the bearers, the other two will get dragged in and the Loops will crash prematurely. The only Anchor candidate who won't get caught up in all of that is this weird, fairy man who dresses in green."

Susanoo blinked, then looked at her. "You know, fairy isn't really a nice thing to call someone. If he is attracted..."

Epona cut him off. "He is a middle-aged man, who dresses in tight green clothes, and wants to be a fairy. An actual, insect wings, glitter dust, fairy."

Susanoo paused. "Huh, that is weird." Epona's eye twitched and Susanoo looked at her more closely. "You know, you shouldn't frown so much. It might give you wrinkles."

"AUUGGHH!"

In between dodging staplers, swords, and whatever other items Epona could grab to throw at him, Susanoo thoughtfully examined the code on Epona's screen. "Ya know, maybe you could make that Triforce thing the Anchor. It's in most of the universes code, and then those other Anchor candidates will start Looping super quick."

Epona paused in the midst of hefting one of the filing cabinets along the wall, before looking at her screen again. Slowly, she slumped over, her head banging down again. Susanoo watched her for a moment, then nodded. "I'll take that as a yes." Humming happily, he left to go grab a sandwich.

* * *

1.2

Link sighed as he listened to Ganon ranting once again about how he was just a boy, how he couldn't possibly defeated Agahnim, and how he would definitely conquer both the Light and Dark Worlds.

Link still wasn't entirely sure what was going on. He appeared to be living multiple different lives, most of which ended shortly after he beat Ganon, or Ganondorf, or whatever his name was at that point, at which point Link would wake up in a whole new life. He had repeated some of them (the lifetime where he was raised in Kokiri Forest seemed to be the most popular), and sometimes things were different, but for the most part, he just went along and saved the world...again.

Finally, Ganon stopped his monologue and started throwing his trident around. Link ducked and dodged, sidestepping easily, until Ganon's body started to shift. Only this time, he didn't burst into a swarm of bats.

* * *

The side of the pyramid burst open as Link hit it several dozen times with the Magic Hammer, barely slowing as he raced away from the Pyramid, while Ganon, the sentient Cucco Swarm, chased after him.

* * *

1.3 (Mivichi)

The princess of Hyrule frowned as she stared at the dungeon around her. Slightly disoriented, Zelda judged that her Triforce of Wisdom had just activated, giving her memories of past-and-maybe-future lives as it sometimes did, but this time something was odd. She could not be completely certain, but had she not lived this life before?

Something was happening; something other than reincarnation. What she had thought was knowledge from the Triforce could be something else entirely.

It was not the time to think about it. Zelda had more immediate issues to solve.

If she had remembered, she should mentally call Link for help to get her out of the dungeon. Though he would suffer setbacks, Link would eventually save the day, and her kingdom would prosper.

However, in one of her other lives, she had been a swashbuckling pirate. In another, she possessed great skill with stealth and various weapons. Not being the true hero, the Master Sword required another wielder, but Zelda refused to think that required her to always depend on someone else to rescue her.

Clasping her hands together, she concentrated on sorting through her memories and abilities. Archery could be useful. Magic definitely was. In some lives, she learned through the study of scrolls and tomes. In others, the fairies had granted her knowledge if she impressed them or if they needed her help. And in her last life she had introduced one Great Fairy to the concept of a bomb.

* * *

The dungeon satisfyingly turned out not to be constructed to withstand explosions. The noise attracted unwanted attention, but she had planned for it: Agahnim found himself the test subject of an experiment in imbuing any kind of projectile with the properties of the Light Arrow.

Her trial succeeded. The startled and injured sorcerer retreated, promising that Zelda had not seen the last of him. She already knew that. He also said that she would not be able to stop him. She had to disagree.

With a serene smile, Zelda gathered her skirts and exited the dungeon, stepping carefully over the scattered rubble. "This time, I will save Hyrule myself," she promised the world.

She still needed Link to earn the Master Sword, but she could tell him that in person. She looked forward to surprising him.

* * *

1.4

Ganondorf sat on a dusty chair in his Forbidden Fortress. It just couldn't be a coincidence. Not minutes before, a young boy, wearing green, had snuck into his fortress to free the girls that he had captured while searching for the Princess Zelda. Ganondorf had had the Helmaroc King throw him out into the ocean, but the sight of the boy was nagging at his head.

In these odd 'not-memories' that filled his head, he saw countless boys in green, thwarting plans and getting him sealed away. Only in a few of his memories did he actually kill the boy in green and...wait. Why hadn't he just killed him right off? Why wait for him to gain power and skill?

Slowly, Ganondorf stood, an evil smirk on his face.

* * *

Link charged forward, the Master Sword bravely clutched in his hands. He had arrived at the Forsaken Fortress, only to find the dark figure from the tower waiting for him in the middle of the courtyard. Ganondorf, if what Link had been told was true, and the blade in his hands was the only thing that could kill him.

Ganondorf grinned, before catching the blade in his hand. Link was stopped cold, struggling to pull the sword free, when Ganondorf grabbed him by the shirt, wrenching the Master Sword from his grip. Ganondorf then whistled, loudly, and the giant bird that had kidnapped his sister dropped down from the sky. Ganondorf leapt, Link still clutched in his hands, and landed on the leg of the bird, which took off into the sky.

Once they reached the level of the clouds, Ganondorf looked at Link. "No speeches, no final struggles. Just...die". And then...he paused, then quickly turned the struggling hero upside down. Several items fell out of his pockets as Ganondorf shook him, including a Hook, Sail, and a Large Leaf. Ganondorf turned him over. "Sorry about that, just had to be sure you couldn't pull a win out of your hat. Speaking of which," Ganondorf quickly pulled the hat off of Link's head, then held him out, and let him fall.

Ganondorf looked down, and then grinned. No pesky hero to...

Out of nowhere, a massive cyclone of wind whipped up, striking the underbelly of the Helmaroc King and knocking Ganondorf free from his perch. As Ganondorf fell wildly, he was past by Link, who was waving a tiny baton, of all things, which appeared to be directing the Tornado he was riding.

"Oh come on!" Ganondorf spun over, and viewed the rapidly approaching sea. "This is going to hurt."

* * *

1.5 (NMS)

The current Loop had just taken a turn for the strange.

Up until this point, it had been a fairly standard loop. He had just gotten the third Spiritual Stone and was on his way to the Temple of Time to reclaim the Master Sword. Just like usual, Zelda was fleeing the city with Ganondorf hot on her heels.

Except, Ganondorf wasn't the one chasing her.

"Hey, kid! You see a princess come through here?" The man asked as he ran a hand through his pompadour.

Link could only stare in horrified awe.

"Look, kid. I know Zelda has a pretty face, but a wimpy kid like you has no shot. There is only one man worthy of such a beauty!" The man exclaimed as he flex his muscles. "Sure she's a little young right know, but she's going to be a really cutie when she gets older. I can wait 'till then"

Link replied with silence as his mind tried to reboot.

"The silent treatment, aye?" The man asked as he walked closer to Link. "Looks like I'm going to have ta get a little rough with ya. And when you go crying back ta your mama, you can tell her that the one that made ya black and blue was...

The Mighty Groosendorf!"

* * *

1.6 - (Aubergine)

Admittedly it took several loops to pull it off.

There were certain challenges along the way that he just couldn't accomplish without the right gear.

Yet.

Despite that, his adventure had finally proven to be a challenge after who knows how many loops, and as he strode casually through the door at the top of Ganondorf's castle, he couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. There'd be more time in the future to perfect the art, but for now he'd savor the look on his mortal enemy's face as he faced his final challenge.

"So... You've finally arrived..." The redheaded desert dweller rose from his organ, turning around with a sweep of his cloak. "The final battle begins... Draw your... Sword?"

Link said nothing, only continued to walk forward at a casual stroll. He was dressed in the same green tunic he'd always worn, but beyond that... No shield sat on his back, wooden or otherwise. No

sword either. No hook-shot on his belt, no pouch of bombs or even money. No bow or quiver of arrows. No special boots.

"Is this a joke? You seek to defeat me... Me! The master of the Triforce of Power!" Ganondorf roared, filling the air with enough power to break the windows of the tower. Link merely took another step forward and drew a single deku stick from its spot on his back. "With! A! STICK?!"

The hero of time said nothing, merely held out a hand and made a single taunting gesture.

* * *

(1.1) - Epona: The Patron Goddess of Over-Worked Assistants everywhere.

(1.2) - Fear The Cucco. Resistance is futile.

(1.3) - Your princess is no longer in any castle.

(1.4) - Didn't I ever tell you about Ganondorfs? Ganondorfs Bounce!

(1.5) - Whose idea was it to make a Zelda villain based on the 50's?

(1.6) - The Deku is strong with this one.


	2. Chapter 2

**_LEGEND OF ZELDA TIME LOOPS: Welcome to the Multiverse!_**

Author Note: We do not own Legend of Zelda. That is all.

* * *

2.1 - (KrisOverstreet)

* * *

'Next time,' Link thought, 'I'll let the kids do their initiation thing and not try to rush through these events.'

The moon, with its angry monstrous face, descended upon Termina. Link had no ocarina, and thus no way of performing the Song of Time to roll back the clock for another pass through the previous four days, which passed so very fast for some reason. Death was staring him in the face; death from above.

Then an enormous shadow bounded out of an alleyway, jumping up the ledges that hung with architectural improbability from the houses of the town. In no time at all he stood on the tallest spire in the city, one enormous arm wheeling around and around preparing to unleash a tremendous haymaker.

The resulting uppercut sent the moon soaring back up into the skies and out of sight.

In the empty streets of Termina Link stared at the figure as it bounced back down to street level, landing directly in front of him. Large eyes stared intently at him for several long seconds.

Link, being quiet by nature, waited for the other to break the silence.

"Ook?"

The results were less than edifying.

"Oook, ooka ook ook EEK ook ook?"

Link shook his head in total confusion.

The large furry figure put one of his immense hands on his equally immense lips, tapping them in intense thought. Then, inspiration having arrived, he pulled a large wall calendar out of nowhere. The ape pointed to Link, and then to the first page of the calendar. He then flipped forward through the calendar, pointed again, pointed at Link. and then flipped back to the beginning of the calendar, pointing back and forth between the calendar and Link.

"Sorry," Link said. "Don't follow."

This obviously distressed the other figure, to judge by the screaming fit and the huge hands pounding the earth hard enough to shake the walls of the surrounding buildings. Finally, having got it out of his system, the creature covered its head in its hands, shaking it back and forth in despair.

Then it froze, and a large grin appeared on a face that was certainly built for smiling.

The creature pulled a book out of nowhere and handed it to Link. For a moment the letters meant nothing to him, and then the ink rearranged itself into Hylian runes. The title read:

**Ook**

_A Primate - Human Dictionary_

_Unseen University Press, Ankh-Morpork_

* * *

2.2

* * *

Ganondorf Awoke in a pot. Now, this was fairly unusual for him, though he was rather used to waking up bound in some fashion. The main thing that was worrying was the fact that the pot he was in was full of boiling water.

'Hmm, I didn't think they had it innnAAH HOT HOT HOT!'

Ganondorf leapt out of the pot, which on inspection from where he landed was actually some form of black cauldron. As Ganondorf slowly rose to his feet, he took note of his surroundings. A dusty graveyard, some boy in what appeared to be robes tied to one of the headstones, a balding fat man crying over his arm, which was bleeding from the wrist, and a rather refreshing breeze. Ganondorf looked down.

"Where are my clothes?!"

* * *

As he finished donning the odd robes the cringing man on the ground handed to him, he examined his memories. They were honestly different from anything he had experienced so far. He could not recall any mention of the Triforce or the Gerudo in this universe. Even the name Hyrule was missing from his recollection. Instead, he was a dark sorcerer of some skill, terrorizing an island nation of similarly powered 'wizards', who for some reason remained hidden from those who lacked magic. And he had just gone through a ritual to return him to his body after he was destroyed while attacking...a 1 year old boy. Ganondorf almost felt like killing himself out of embarrassment.

Slowly Ganondorf turned to the boy bound to the gravestone, who was examining him with a sort of detached curiosity. Apparently, this was the boy who had...defeated him before. Honestly, he was happy that this boy at least didn't share in the fashion sense of his other, would-be nemesis. Slowly, Ganondorf shook away the memories of green hats and approached this Harry Potter.

Harry looked up as he approached, looking fairly curious and somewhat bored. Ganondorf towered over him, preparing himself for a grand declaration before he ran the boy through, when he realized that he did not possess a sword. He frowned, flexing his fist, when the boy spoke.

"Who are you?"

Ganondorf paused, before turning towards the cheeky brat (where had that term come from?). "Who am I? WHO AM I? I am Ganondorf, scourge of the deserts, Thief King of the Tribe of the Gerudo. I am the man who shall claim the Triforce, tear down the Goddesses from the Heavens, destroy even Death, and rule, as the One True King of the World."

The boy's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, Ganondorf." He paused. "I thought you'd be taller."

Ganondorf's teeth creaked. "Taller?! I could smite you where you stand. I will crush you like the insect you are!"

Harry tilted his head. "Really." The faint sense of power the boy had seemed to possess before, exploded. A veritable wall of power rushed out, sending Ganondorf staggering back a step. The ropes binding the boy to the headstone burst into flame, then fell away into ash just as quickly. The headstone itself cracked, then blew apart into rubble, pieces of the stonework ripping through the surrounding graves. The boy, no, the young warlock stepped forward, power surging around him, as a thin stick appeared in his hand. "Let's test that, shall we?"

* * *

Ganondorf ducked aside as yet another flaming boulder ripped past his head, gouging a furrow in the earth behind him. Ganondorf brandished the thin blade he had crafted from his magic, which felt, diluted almost, yet more responsive than he could ever remember it being. The boy, Harry Potter, stood in the middle of the graveyard, wand dancing as he ripped apart the landscape and sent it hurtling at Ganondorf. Ganondorf leapt aside as a pair of silver spears hurled past him, and then charged over the greasy stain that was all that was left of the cringing servant that had revived him. In his empty hand, Ganondorf summoned the Flame of Destruction, black tendrils dancing before he hurled it at his foe. A thick sheet of stone burst from the earth and exploded as the black fireball collided with it. Ganondorf himself charged through the burning wall, swiping at the fountain of power he could feel standing beyond it. With a clang, his blade met another. A quick exchange of blows, and then they stepped back, measuring each other.

Ganondorf chuckled, then began to laugh outright. "Never, Never in all my lives, have I faced a magus of such skill as you. Truly, this is..."

"Lives? You're a Looper?" In an instant, the ground had settled around them, the marks of their combat disappearing, as the boy walked forward, holding out his hand. "I didn't know your reality was Looping yet. Congratulations." Stepping deftly around his guard, the boy shook his free hand rather firmly, then stepped back. "So, anyway, shall we continue? I haven't had a chance to really let loose in a while."

"What is this foolishness you speak of? Looper? Reality? You speak of other worlds." Ganondorf paused, then his eyes lit up. "Do you know of the paths to the Sacred Realm? Answer, if you value your life."

Harry blinked. "Huh, usually new Loopers show up on the Hogwarts Express. Well, I guess I'll just have to, HEY!" Harry ducked as Ganondorf swung his blade, sending an arc of black magic shooting over his head.

"Enough prattle. I shall take what you know, even if I must break your spirit to do so."

* * *

"So, in summary, there are Anchors who are the first to Loop in their universe, with other Loopers following soon after. I have no idea why you would be the first one to Loop, but I have long learned that the Loops work in weird ways. Anyway, any questions?"

Ganondorf moaned softly around his split lip. He was currently tied to one of the last standing trees in the area. His clothes were closer to rags, with cuts and bruises covering most of his body, while Harry stood in front of him, his robes slightly torn, but otherwise looking rather chipper - though Ganondorf felt a vindictive pleasure at his blackened eye - with several pages of paper floating around him, various diagrams and pictures drawing and erasing themselves on each paper. Harry idly healed a few of the cuts along his arms, and some of the light bruising along his side as he waited, before moving on.

"Now, I wouldn't normally do this for a villain, but, ah, what the hell. There is this thing called a subspace pocket. Oh, and word of advice, ruling the world? Way too much paperwork. Unless you are the only person left, but that gets boring really quick. So, for the pocket, what you do is..."

* * *

2.3 - (Mivichi)

* * *

This lifetime had bothered Zelda ever since she remembered herself.

There was peace throughout Hyrule. She had not been able to find Link, and all the legends indicated that Ganon remained strongly sealed. Moreover, the existence of certain neighboring kingdoms puzzled Zelda.

A good portion of her memories of other lives insisted that the kingdoms had never before existed in Hyrule's history. However, her Triforce-granted knowledge of her past lives traced the growth of Hyrule until its borders met that of the Mushroom Kingdom. Her memories had confused her before, but the two sets had never clashed so badly before.

Zelda had no time to sort out what was wrong or right. Today, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom would arrive for a diplomatic meeting.

In Zelda's experience, that meant that this loops villain would be popping up as well. None of the usual Hyrule villains showed any signs of appearing. Did Princess Peach have any enemies?

A strange flying ship with rotors like that of a Peahat's spinners hovered above the palace as the courtiers milled about in panic. Zelda, watching through the window, noticed a cannon aimed at the throne room. She turned to the court. "Get out of here!" she demanded.

They couldn't hear over their own screams. Having never lived in an ocean age, none recognized the metal tube as a weapon.

A missile launched. It had eyes and a grinning mouth. It impacted the castle with a bang that shook the entire structure and tore a hole through the roof.

Zelda swiped her hand as she shouted a spell. It threw a sapphire shield up against the ceiling, catching the shattered stonework. The strain of maintaining the magic made her sweat.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zelda notice Princess Peach move forward. From nowhere, Peach pulled out a pink umbrella that matched her dress. She aimed the point at the center of the room. It shot out a red beam that expanded into a heart shape, pushing everyone except Zelda, the king, and a few of the royal knights out of the room's wide open doors and into the undamaged hallway.

Peach nodded to Zelda, and Zelda breathed a sigh of relief as she let the spell holding the debris slowly dissipate.

A gigantic, red-haired dragon-turtle burst in through the fading shield. He landed in a menacing half-lunge that emphasized the sharp spikes on his shell.

The monster's entire focus was on Princess Peach. "Princess," he thundered, "you're mine!"

Said princess unhurriedly shook out the flowing skirt of her dress before treading far enough away from the king that he would not be in danger. "My sincere apologies, Demon King Koopa, but I have no interest in being kidnapped. It would be best if you returned to your kingdom."

Zelda scrutinized what was apparently the villain of her current life. While looking into the status of the usual villains, she had found information that described Bowser, king of the Koopas.

Testing a theory, she cast a spell to detect evil. Her sight changed, displaying a purple miasma of hatred and madness that clung to King Koopa.

"Your Highness," Zelda called, "he will not listen. He has been affected by the curse of the fallen god, Demise."

The statement caused the king of Hyrule, previously shocked into silence by his daughter's unexpected display of magical prowess, to start spluttering incoherently.

Peach met Zelda's gaze evenly. "What is your usual method of breaking the curse?"

"Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not here!" complained Bowser.

Zelda considered Peach's question. "I have never encountered any way to remove the curse from the focus of it in the current generation," she replied. "The usual method of dealing with the curse, however, is to seal or to kill the villain using a goddess-blessed blade."

"Stop ignoring me!" Bowser bellowed furiously, flames spouting from his nostrils.

With a serious countenance, Peach pressed a hand against her cheek. "Killing is something I would prefer to avoid," she sighed. "I am afraid I currently lack any weapons that qualify."

Bowser roared and rushed toward Zelda. Having purposefully worn a dress whose skirts hid a slit up the side of her legs, Zelda had no trouble taking up a balanced pose. She gathered her power into her fists, ducked, and uppercut Bowser with a move learned during one lifetime as Sheik. His bellow transformed into a rumbling curse as he flew upwards.

Then Peach was under him. In the space of a moment, the parasol disappeared. A wooden club, not unlike that which children used in certain ball games, replaced it. She held it in an angle which caused it to glow before gracefully smashing it into Bowser.

Peach floated down to the ground as Bowser made another hole in the wall. He left overturned dirt in his wake as he skidded through the castle gardens.

That left Zelda gaping for a moment before she pulled herself together. "If you can hold him off for a few moments," she told Peach, "I have something which should do the trick."

Zelda dashed for the chamber behind the throne room, ignoring the sounds of battle behind her. She threw open a nominally unused cabinet. She slung a quiver over her shoulder. In another moment, she held the Light Bow in her left hand and the Golden Sword in her right.

She rushed back out to the throne room. She made sure to dodge the fretting guards clustered around the king. "Stay here! I can take care of myself!" she barked when a few moved to follow her. They stopped so suddenly that a few toppled over.

With a leap and a twist, Zelda cleared the hole in the wall and landed in the gardens.

Peach swung a steel frying pan. Bowser involuntarily flew through a hedge. The hedge caught on fire shortly thereafter.

"I'm back!" Zelda said to catch Peach's attention. She handed off the Golden Sword. "This should do the trick. All you have to do is stab him."

Bowser broke out of the burning bushes. As he gulped air in preparation for another breath of fire, Zelda put an arrow to her bow. A drop of magic transmuted it into a Light Arrow. The arrow, loosed from the bow, struck Bowser firmly on his head and stunned him.

Peach ran swiftly at the downed Koopa. Whenever he moved to stand, Zelda hit him with another arrow. Peach jumped and stabbed downwards. The sword cleanly cleaved into Bowsers' tail.

Zelda continued to stun him with arrows until he was entirely turned to stone. The airship above hastily flew off.

Peach knelt down to whisper something in the statue's ear and then stood, absently patting the new statue's head as if saying farewell to an old friend. She walked calmly to Zelda and offered the other princess her hand.

Zelda gladly shook it. "Sorry that you were attacked during your stay here."

"Oh, I'm used to it," Peach replied with a giggle. "Are you the local Anchor?"

"What's an Anchor?" Zelda questioned blankly.

Peach put a single gloved finger against her cheek as she tilted her head. "Oh, dear. Let me ask something different. Do you awaken in the same life over and over for no known cause?"

Zelda gave a startled affirmative. "But I have lived many different lives," she added hastily.

They were interrupted by the guards finally getting their acts together. Both the Hyrulian guards and Peach's mushroom-capped retainers were exiting the castle and running for their princesses.

"We need to meet in private later," Peach murmured quietly before the others reached them. "There are many things you need to know." Her lips twitched, and then she smiled warmly. "I am certainly looking forward to our kingdoms' alliance."

* * *

"...and so then, Bowser, of all people, lands on the roof, dressed in the same mask except black. Apparently, he was a long lost cousin of the turtles, or some such thing. Any way, it was most amusing to see Bowser attempting to learn how to ride one of their skateboards."

Zelda laughed as Peach finished her latest story. Zelda had felt that she was rather experienced, given the several lives she had lived. However, Peach had proved that she still had so much to see. Worlds upon worlds existed, and according to Peach, she herself was a relative newcomer to these worlds. Some people had been going through these repeated lives, these "Loops" for millenia or even longer.

Something of Zelda's thoughts must have shown on her face, as Peach set down her teacup to the side. "What is it?"

Zelda looked up, startled from her thoughts. "Nothing. I just..."

Peach smiled sadly. "I may not look it, but I am quite a politician. I can tell when someone is lying. Truly dear, what is troubling you?"

Zelda sighed. "How long? How long did it take before more people started Looping in your Loops?"

Peach nodded slowly. "Ah." She paused. "As I said, I am not the Anchor for my universe. That honor goes to Mario, my dashing hero-in-red. He doesn't talk that often, much like your Link, I understand, but I know that he spent quite some time alone before his brother began Looping with him." Peach winced. "I know that is probably not what you hoped to hear."

Zelda waved her hand. "No, no. It helps to know that I will not be alone in these many lives. Someday, Link will join me. And perhaps my father will as well."

Peach smiled. "That's the spirit." She then stood. "Now, I rather feel like getting some exercise. Come, I will teach you how to play this marvelous little game called Golf."

* * *

2.4 - (KrisOverstreet)

* * *

Ganondorf sat behind the desk and glared at the trio of minions standing before him, contemplating the injustice of the universe.

Apparently it was not enough that he be bored to tears by conquest in variation after variation of his home world. Apparently being forced to relive, if that was the term, the periods after his death when he became little more than another monster, more cunning but not more thoughtful than the others, was not sufficient either.

No, whatever ill fate it was that kept him repeating his lives over and over again without sense or reason had decided to change the world completely this time. Now, instead of a prince of thieves or a malign wizard or a monster of greed and shadows, he had been reincarnated as an organized crime boss, complete with the "legitimate businessman" and "pillar of the community" false fronts, in a world that bore no resemblance to Hyrule in any of its forms.

The pet was an additional taunt by the cruel universe. Granted, the black and red markings that dominated it appealed to his sense of style, and the fire powers and fighting spirit fit his own personality well. But why, why, WHY did it have to have a pig's face? After so many loops as Ganon the monster, he never, ever wanted to see any pig or pig by-product ever again.

And yet he couldn't hold it against Emboar. Emboar was smart, loyal and competent... which is more than could be said for the trio before him.

"I do not want to hear any more of your sniveling excuses," he growled at last. "I have a simple assignment for you. This assignment is so simple, not even you could possibly fail." Of course they would. Even if he hadn't said the fatal words, this trio would always find a way to lose. What was it about this universe that the most clever plots, the most advanced technology, the most potent magic could all be undone by the wits of an eleven year old child?

The trio groveled and pledged their thanks, their gratitude, their undying devotion to his cause. It would have made him sick if he hadn't heard variants on the same theme for as far back as he could remember.

"Cease your blathering and go!" he shouted, tossing a file folder at them. "I do not wish to hear from you unless you can report success!"

"Have no fear, almighty leader," the female said. "Team Rocket shall not fail you!"

"We have heard your command, and what you wish, we shall do!" the male said.

"Meowth! You betcha!" the Pokemon between them chimed in.

Ganondorf slumped in his chair and groaned as soon as the door closed behind them. Emboar, concerned, put a piggy hoof on his shoulder for comfort. To Ganon's surprise, it helped a little.

'The truly, truly sad thing,' he thought to himself, 'is those three nitwits are ten times as intelligent as the minions I usually get…'

* * *

2.5 - (NMS)

* * *

An overhead swing was blocked by his opponent's twin blades. With nary an effort, his blade was pushed aside. Off balance, he could do nothing as his opponent's foot collided with his head.

For the first time in more Loops than he could count, Link was getting his ass kicked.

His thrust was easily dodged, and his opponent replied by sinking one of their blades into his shoulder. He grabbed onto the offending blade before it could be pulled back, and lashed out with his own. The trapped blade disintegrated as its owner leapt away.

"Why do you continue to struggle?" Fi asked as her sword reformed in her grip. "There is a two percent chance that you will survive this encounter. My victory is assured."

"If you think a little challenge will make me back down, then you clearly don't know me." Link replied as hefted Ghirahim and charged at his foe.

It was amazing, Link mused, what a difference a simple swapping of weapons was. The massive blade of the demon king was an unfamiliar weight in his hands, one that he need one of his various strength increasing items to even wield.

And the spirit of the goddess sword was a much more dangerous opponent than Ghirahim. It wasn't that she was stronger, but more pragmatic. She felt no need to hide behind a weaker form. She didn't risk failure by playing around. Any opening he exploited was quickly corrected.

As his sword was swatted from him, Link looked her in the eye.

Next time, he'd be ready

* * *

2.6 - (Crisis)

* * *

Ganondorf had been riding after the princess and her guardian to prevent them from escaping with the key he needed to access the Triforce in the Temple of Time. They crossed the drawbridge out of a burning Castle Town when, suddenly, their horse reared in fright and bolted hard to the left.

'What?' he thought to himself, extremely puzzled.

"Sorrycan'tstayforthedramaticmeetingoffuturenenemiesaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" yelled a green-clad boy as he tore past on foot into the burning town.

'Huh?'

Then the veritable cloud of cuccos that had been pursuing the boy descended upon him.

* * *

2.7

* * *

Ganondorf Awoke feeling calm. Not just calm, he felt almost, serene. As if a cloak he had been wearing for a long time had been lifted. As he stood up from where he was sitting, he began to remember.

He was the Lord of the Gerudo and a close personal friend of the current King of Hyrule. He was a frequent visitor to the palace, and he had been helping the King plan after a prophecy had come out that a green-clad assassin would rise from the Fairy Wood, and would reclaim the land for the chaos of the Fey.

Ganondorf blinked for a second, before grinning. It would be an...interesting diversion, to play the hero for once.

* * *

2.8

* * *

Link Awoke while falling. While not a new experience, it was still rather frightening to see clouds rushing up to engulf him. He quickly twisted his wings to bring the tips to his mouth to whistle, then paused to think about what he was doing.

"Squak!"

* * *

Batreaux peered out of his window as an odd green Loftwing tumbled past, flapping and honking and obviously having forgotten how to fly. Several seconds later, it swooped back up, crowing loudly.

* * *

Link banked around, feeling the wind rush past his feathers. This was amazing! He felt free, unbound. Just as he curved over the roof of the Bazaar, a familiar whistle pierced the air. On instinct, Link twisted and dove, shooting past the lighthouse and down, towards a falling figure in green.

Link twisted around, and his rider landed squarely on his back. As Link began to climb, his rider spoke. "Oh joy, oh joy, I'm so glad you caught me, my beautiful fairy bird!"

Link froze, his wings stiffening into a glide, then he twisted his head to catch sight of his rider. Chubby cheeks, green outfit, slight paunch...oh no.

A slightly younger Tingle grinned on Link's back. "We must practice if we are to win the race and dance with Zelda. Kooloo Limpah!"

* * *

2.9 - (Mivichi)

* * *

Feeling disoriented, Malon paused in the middle of eating breakfast with her father. Something felt vaguely wrong. Looking around, she determined the difference with only a quick scan of the room. Cuccos should have been wandering underfoot. Instead, she heard the lowing of cows outside the ranch house, which should have been a simpler farm house.

Or maybe not; something about the surroundings tickled at her memories.

The neigh of a horse startled Malon out of her disorientation. Epona, her beautiful flaxen mare, helped pull their wagonload of bottled milk into town every day. Malon wondered if her hero, the fairy boy, would need to borrow her horse again.

Malon shook her head, trying to clear out the strange thoughts. Silly, she chided herself. She had never loaned anyone her horse or met any sort of hero. She had always lived in a ranch house and taken care of the cows. Her father did keep a few Cuccos, but the birds lived in their henhouse. Cuccos would make too much of a mess on the floor.

Really, now that she thought about it, she almost felt like she had lived her life before. They were indeed strange thoughts, if she dreamed of another her dreaming of her own life.

"Is everything all right, Malon?" asked her father, Talon, with concern.

Malon smiled brightly. "I'm fine! I was daydreaming for a moment, that's all," she declared. She took another bite of her omelette.

Talon chuckled. "About what?"

She thought it over as she chewed. After swallowing, she replied, "Horses. Should we get Epona re-shoed before or after the festival?"

Her father reached over to ruffle her hair. "That's my daughter," he laughed, "always the practical one. We have to wait until after, though. Smith is filling some kind of big order, and he does the best work."

"Ah, right, he's working on the sword for the champion," she recalled.

Talon sat back. "Huh, that makes sense. I didn't know what he was up to," he admitted.

When she thought about it, Malon realized that she shouldn't have known that, either. She couldn't work up the appetite to finish her meal.

That day, they went into town with a full wagon-load of milk to sell to the spectators of the sword competition. Malon did not have a chance to go watch it herself, but she consoled herself with the fact that every bottle they sold was a Rupee closer to better gear for Epona.

The next morning turned out much the same; sales kept her busy during the celebration for the victor, a mysterious young man by the name of Vaati. Later, the news spread: Vaati had shattered the legendary Picori Blade, unleashed monsters on the land, and turned Princess Zelda to stone.

Talon was shocked and frightened. Malon, somehow, was not.

* * *

Days later, Link, the grandson of the best blacksmith in Hyrule Town, stopped by their ranch house while they worked outside and asked if they needed help with anything.

He had a new hat, Malon noted. Pointed and conical, it made Link look like someone familiar: a person from her dreams, the fairy boy.

Talon waved off Link's offer of help. "We're fine, Malon and I. The monsters haven't tried hard to get past the fence after I gave a few a good whack with my shovel." He laughed deep in his chest. "We almost had a problem the other day when I'd dropped my key, but it turned out that Malon had grabbed the spare earlier and forgotten to return it, lucky for us." He shook his head. "Being locked out of the house in times like these would have been no good."

Talon turned back to his work, but Malon hovered next to Link, who was looking at her with puzzlement that she did not understand. A dry wind blew around them, ruffling the grass and carrying dust off the road.

Malon met Link's eyes. She thought they looked awfully old for a kid her own age.

Link opened his mouth to say something, then faltered. He glanced back and forth between her and Talon.

"What is it, Link?" she asked.

Link coughed once into his fist. "I know this sounds strange, but have you ever lived this life before?"

The denial she had immersed herself in abruptly found itself withered and swept away. "You, too?" she demanded to know.

The hat suddenly grew a bird head. It opened its beak and exclaimed, "Are you both nuts?"

Malon's warm sensation of reunion vanished as her mind tried to process Link having a talking hat.

Link smiled, unbothered, his eyes glistening. "Everything's all right," he told the bird, "for the first time in ages."

The way Link gazed at her as if she was the only other person in the world was dangerous, Malon contemplated with a flush. She doubted the fairy boy had a clue.

* * *

(2.1) - He's either saying the whole universe is in a time loop, or my uncle is a waterwheel.

(2.2) - There's always a bigger mage.

(2.3) - Don't mess with the princess(es).

(2.4) - Prepare for trouble, Make it the Triforce!

(2.5) - The odds are in her favor.

(2.6) - Cucco Bomb Development is a risky business.

(2.7) - Turnabout is a fair vacation.

(2.8) - My pin feathers are Tingling.

(2.9) - Malon is the girl next door...again and again and again.


	3. Chapter 3

**THE LEGEND OF ZELDA LOOPS: MALON JOINS THE FRAY!**

Author Note: I do not own Legend of Zelda, nor can I take credit for most of the ideas in these Loops. The author of a given Loop is credited by the Loop Number. I did write the footnotes, though.

And, Begin!

* * *

3.1

Zelda sighed internally as she lay across the back of the horse, Impa riding behind her. So far, this Loop had been fairly ordinary, though there had been something odd about Link when he had come to see her in the courtyard. In any case, she had decided to follow the script so far. She glanced over to toss the Ocarina of Time in the moat for Link, except...he wasn't there.

Zelda's heart skipped a beat. Was this actually a Variant Loop? Before she had time to try and reach out to Link telepathically (she had gotten better at it over the Loops), a sharp clatter of hooves revealed his location. Link, atop his horse Epona, charged in-between the fleeing horse Zelda and Impa were riding and the pursuing Ganondorf. In his hand, Link held a long bow that was hauntingly familiar to Zelda, with a glowing, silver arrow notched to fire.

*THOCK* Ganondorf reeled on his horse as the arrow embedded itself in his upper forearm. Two more arrows followed in quick succession, and Ganondorf fell from his horse. As he struggled to rise from the ground, Link leapt from Epona's back and drew a sword. Zelda started as she recognized it as the Master Sword. Ganondorf's look of shock was frozen onto his face as the blade pierced into his skull. With a flash of light, he turned to stone, before crumbling away.

"That was for Tetra"

Zelda almost didn't catch the soft declaration from Link, but as she did she quickly slid out from the saddle, twisting to land on the ground, and ran back towards Link, heedless of Impa's shouts behind her.

Link turned at her approach, his head tilted, and then his eyes widened as she tackled him in a hug.

"You're Awake!"

Link looked stunned as he stared up at her from the ground, before his countenance brightened. "You've finally started Looping?"

Zelda frowned. "I've always been Looping. I...I'm the Anchor."

"Actually, you are both Anchors."

Zelda and Link paused, before twisting to look at the source of the voice. Epona stood there, calmly, chewing on a few blades of grass. She tossed her head and spoke again, "After all you two have seen, a talking horse throws you off?"

Before she could react, Zelda found herself dumped on the ground as Link rolled and rose to his feet, the Master Sword in his hand, and planted himself between her and Epona. Epona giggled and then, changed.

In her place stood a tall woman with chestnut brown hair. She practically glowed, and some part of Zelda told her that this was a goddess. The goddess smiled at the two of them. "Hello, my name is Epona. I'm not the horse that you usually know, I am simply temporarily borrowing her mortal form to communicate with you. Ordinarily I would go through the Golden Sisters, but I thought this was something best explained in person."

* * *

Zelda and Link stood stunned as Epona finished explaining about her position as an Admin of Yggdrasil and how the Triforce was set up as Anchor. As she finished, Zelda had only one question.

"If...if we are Looping because of our connection to the Triforce, does that mean that Ganon could loop too?"

Epona frowned slightly. "He already is."

* * *

3.2 - (Mivichi)

Malon had thus far had spent several Loops, as Link thought of the repeated sections of their lives, as various incarnations of herself. Link always remembered himself during the loops. He told her she rarely did, at least from his perspective, but he appreciated her occasional company nonetheless.

As it was, Malon could do little to help him with his near-constant campaigns against Ganon or Vaati aside from providing Epona and supplies to the hero. She spent her free time learning more about whatever took her fancy: horses, farming, medicine. One loop she spent working out how to breed new varieties and colors of Cuccos.

When she had remembered herself this time around, she had been excited at exploring the Hero of Time loop more thoroughly. It should have been fun.

It would have been if Link had remembered her.

Malon wondered how Link dealt with it, being alone in loops all of the time. She refused to let it affect her, however, and ensured that Link had access to Epona and went about his business with as few obstructions as possible. Her Link had explained how the events usually played out.

She just had to survive the next ten years without him.

* * *

How naive she had been to not consider other possibilities, Malon later realized.

The ten years had passed as expected, if not precisely pleasantly. Link had come to the ranch one last time as he readied himself to face Ganondorf in what would be their final battle. And then the sky had darkened as if a thunderstorm approached.

Ganondorf appeared in all his dark majesty in the center of the ranch, ambushing Link with a prepared spell to disarm the hero. With a flick of Ganondorf's hand, Link and the Master Sword flew in two different directions. Link landed heavily against the fence of the enclosure, knocked unconscious when his head struck the iron bars.

Sheltered by Epona and beneath Ganondorf's notice, Malon watched in numb horror. Shaking, she could not get herself to move.

Ganondorf stalked towards Link. The Gerudo king drew his sword.

Malon wanted to scream. The sound stuck in her throat.

And Ganondorf cut off Link's head.

Malon watched it roll across the bloodstained ground, disbelieving tears in her eyes. This should not have happened. Ganondorf was not supposed to win.

"There," Ganondorf spoke to Link's corpse with satisfaction, "you will no longer impede my rule. I will be sure to end you here again when I next repeat this life. It works quite well."

Malon bit back a gasp as understanding hit her. Ganondorf, not Link, had Looped this time. Ganondorf had Looped before. He had spent the past ten years planning to win.

Link would be back with the next Loop. No one remained who could save Hyrule in this one. The Master Sword lay by her side, clean and shining despite rolling through the grass and soil, entirely useless without a wielder.

As Ganondorf laughed madly, Malon picked up the sword with arms strengthened by years of farm labor. Without a thought to the consequences, she rushed Ganondorf with the Master Sword held steady.

As focused on Link as the evil king was, her charge surprised him. As he turned to look at her, the sword was sliding smoothly between his ribs, a lucky strike. In the next instant, she was flung back on the dirt. He had hit her with a curse.

She felt cold, and pain. Warm, red liquid soaked the front of her blouse as she shivered.

Ganondorf began to slowly turn to stone. "Damn you!" he snarled as he watched her past his already deadened fingertips. The gray traveled slowly, steadily up his arm. "Who are you to do this to me?"

Malon might have told him could she still breath easily. Instead, she smiled at him. He had lost after all.

The pain slowly faded. Her vision darkened.

The world went away.

Next thing she knew, Malon found herself on a pirate ship.

* * *

3.3 - (Mivichi)

"Why the heck am I on a pirate ship?" Malon puzzled aloud even as the loop memories flowed through her mind.

Formerly of Windfall Island, Malon had been orphaned at a young age and left with her father's house and henhouse. One day, a young girl named Tetra had come ashore with a band of pirates and spontaneously decided to steal Malon's Cuccos.

Malon had ended up saving Tetra from the angry Cucco Swarm, and then both she and her Cuccos were offered a place aboard by the late pirate captain. The pirates regarded Malon well because, they claimed, her Cuccos made the tastiest eggs in the Great Sea.

Malon stayed for Tetra, who had been her first real friend.

And that led to the present. Tetra was standing to her right, looking through a telescope from the vantage point in the crow's nest. At Malon's words, Tetra had turned to Malon with a quizzical expression.

"Remembering a different lifetime?"

"In another age," was all Malon said.

Tetra pumped her fist in the air. "Yeah!" Then she started shaking Malon's hand. More quietly, she whispered, "I've never met another native looper besides Link. It's nice to really meet you!"

Malon blinked at the term "native". "Um," she began.

Tetra looked concerned. "You are a looper, right?"

"Ah, yes? Time loops? Different lives?"

Tetra nodded vigorously. "That's right. Do you need the 'welcome to the multiverse' speech?"

"Multiverse?" Malon asked weakly. The roots of the word gave it a pretty obvious meaning, but comprehending it was another beast entirely.

"Thought so. Come on, let's go to my cabin," replied the pirate before proceeding to push Malon towards the ladder, ordering a crewmember named Zuko to go on watch in their place.

* * *

"So that's that," said Tetra later that day. "Any questions?"

Malon's head swam. Tetra was Princess Zelda. Princess Zelda was a pirate (and enjoyed the opportunity to speak like one). Hyrule was underwater. Zelda had seen at least one other world.

The gods in charge of their loop had purposefully chosen the Triforce as the Anchor, even though they had known Ganondorf would loop.

Wanting to scream, Malon tried to hold in her emotions, gritting her teeth and breathing heavily. She refused to cry or scream or…

She couldn't predict what she would do.

"So," Zelda asked archly, "what did my sofa ever do to you?"

"Ah?" Malon glanced down. Without realizing it, she had ripped into the teal cushions until the one she sat upon leaked its downy stuffing. She loosened her grip and clasped her hands, ashamed at her loss of composure. "...It's nothing."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Malon fisted her hands and rested her forehead against them, swinging her legs and fidgeting. Zelda sat much more calmly. She had her head cocked and observed Malon with one eye.

Finally, Zelda spoke. "C'mon, you can tell me," she coaxed gently.

Malon remained silent for a few moments longer. "I… I met Ganon during my last loop. The looping version," she slowly admitted, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. "It wasn't… I…"

The memory engulfed her mind: Link beheaded, Ganondorf skewered, herself mortally wounded. The sword had stabbed into him so easily. Malon could still smell the blood, all three of theirs mixed together. Her nausea rose swiftly. She turned just in time to heave on the floor instead of Zelda.

The pirate wordlessly held Malon's hair back, soothingly stroking her head as she heaved and cried. When Malon had settled enough, Zelda fetched a clean towel, an empty bucket, and a glass of fresh water. She wiped Malon's face and proceeded to clean the floor while Malon gargled the water.

Then, Zelda carefully drew the story out of Malon. The pirate kept one arm wrapped around the shoulders of the farm girl. Malon clung onto the other's hand, grateful for the support.

After Malon finished, Zelda ruminated over the tale. "You did well, you know, especially for someone who's barely started looping. You're stronger than you think. I won't say the first times are always the worst, but…" The sentence trailed off.

Malon, unsure if she wanted to know, asked, "First what?"

"Deaths. Kills. As long as you think like a person and not a monster, both can be hard." Zelda smiled wistfully, eyes full of old regrets. "Do you want to be able to do more?"

Malon met Zelda's gaze and nodded shakily.

Zelda's smile brightened. "Good. I have a few ideas on what you can do. First, let me show you something called a subspace pocket."

* * *

Malon stood in front of the entrance to a fairy fountain. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked Zelda nervously.

They were travelling around the ocean while an Unawake Link quested to take down Ganondorf. Zelda had plans for how to make the process easier, and meanwhile she had tossed Malon at what Zelda considered necessary training. The fairy fountain visit was the next step.

"Look," Zelda said seriously, "energy manipulation - like Hyrule's magic - is something you can use in almost all loops. The first step is learning how to do it, and it's easiest to get the foundations from your home loop if you can."

"I thought Great Fairies rarely helped anyone but heroes," protested Malon weakly. She couldn't imagine herself as a sorceress like Zelda.

Zelda waved off Malon's worry. "The fairies serve the goddesses, and most deities are what're called Loop Aware non-loopers," the pirate replied. "It will be fine. Besides, the Master Sword let you use it. You're hero material."

"All right," Malon said dubiously. She entered the pink conch house and dropped through the hole in the ground.

The interior was spectacularly beautiful. The smooth water of the fountain gently reflected the light of a small golden fairy above it.

Malon walked up to the edge of the fountain. The fairy dramatically swirled amidst a burst of light, and a green Great Fairy replaced her. Humanoid, but with an inhumanly smooth face and a ghostly body, the fairy practically hummed with power.

"Greetings, child," the fairy spoke with a musical voice, resonant as water in a crystal chalice. "What is it that you seek?"

"Whatever you think it best to give me," Malon replied firmly, "even if that is nothing."

Light again swirled around the fairy. Two of her dark hands cupped themselves, and the other two hands guided her breath towards the lotus that had appeared in her other palms. The petals swirled around Malon, who heard joyous laughter as the glow enveloped her.

When the light had returned to normal, the fairy smiled down at Malon, who felt strangely warm and energized. "Dear child, we are glad to help anyone so loved by the goddesses."

Knowledge flowed from the Great Fairy into Malon even as the fairy explained aloud, "You have always had magic, though you realized it not, else you would not have eternally reconnected with your equine companion. The strength of your call has increased. Now, you may ask any animal for its aid."

Shaking off her stunned surprise, Malon curtsied deeply and gratefully. "Thank you," she said with a sincere smile, "I am honored."

With another tinkling laugh, the fairy swirled and disappeared in another burst of light, leaving only a scattering of tiny golden fairies behind.

Malon turned to walk into the glowing circle that would transport her back to the surface. Next time she saw her Link, maybe she could adventure with him.

Back on the surface, she tackled Zelda and broke into giggles. "I have magic!" They whirled each other around in a joyful dance until they were breathless and dizzy. "Say," Malon inquired as fought her breathing back under control, "do you know any good spells?"

Clapping her hands with glee, Zelda beamed at Malon. "Let's see what I can teach you," was her reply. "How do you feel about explosives?"

* * *

On the roof of Ganon's Tower and carefully wrapped in a cape enchanted for invisibility, Malon watched Zelda, now looking distinctly like a princess, carefully orchestrate for Ganondorf to "win" the Triforce from Link and Zelda. The former was nowhere near as unconscious as she pretended.

The golden artifact appeared. That was Malon's cue. Touching one hand against the Triforce, she felt extraordinary power float through her body. She dropped the cloak in the middle of Ganondorf's monologue.

"Heehee, I got here first," Malon giggled. Behind her, King Daphnes let out a yelp of surprise. "Aaaanyways," she said, "my wish is for there to be plenty of fish and other non-man-eating life in the Great Ocean. It's not such a bad place to live, really, but more food sources wouldn't hurt. Neither would a little more land, maybe, but fish would be nicer."

The Triforce burst into light and disappeared.

"Fish?" both Ganondorf and the Hylian king exclaimed.

Ganondorf roared in anger. "Fish! All the power in the world, and you ask for fish!"

Malon hummed while activating her magic power. In the ocean above, she felt the presence of all the new animals. The Golden Goddesses had been kind - vindictive, from another perspective.

Walking backwards with a childish, dancing sway, Malon grinned mischievously and maintained eye contact with Ganondorf.

Then, the waters of the ocean began to pour down, and a pile of fish fell on him.

When the fish flopped around in a desperate search for water, Zelda cast a spell that washed them off the sides of the tower and into the swirling Great Sea that now covered the ancient lands of Hyrule. Ganondorf, despite being uncovered, remained on the ground, unconscious and twitching.

Raising an eyebrow, Zelda turned to Malon. "Did you just kill Ganondorf with fish?" she demanded to know.

Malon blushed and wrung her hands. "He's still alive!" she argued.

"Barely!"

Turning quite pink, Malon admitted, "I think those were all either poisonous or a little magical. Thank the Triforce."

Zelda's other eyebrow joined the first. "Huh, nice." Turning her attention elsewhere, the princess nudged Link with her bow to rouse him. "Okay, hero, Ganon is out of it. You're up."

* * *

3.4 - (Zap Rowdowser)

Link looked around. The puzzles filling this mechanical dungeon had been complex, but nothing he couldn't handle with a few hookshots, switchhooks, and liberal use of the bunny hood, pegasus boots, and Roc Cape. Only the boss was left, and if she wasn't lying about the oddly colored gas being piped in, he only had a few minutes to fight the battle. He ignored her taunts about his parentage and evident obsession with Tolkein entirely; it was clearly an attempt at distraction and none of her missiles were doing more than glancing damage. Admittedly, he wasn't sure who his parents were this loop either, but he didn't much care for Tolkein, he couldn't sit still long enough to read a book that length. Putting one of his several Ocarinas of Time to his lips, he played the familiar Song of Healing, as he had promised Chell when she had Looped in as Medli.

No sooner than he had finished, a translucent human form departed from GLaDoS' core towards a great light above that appeared out of nowhere. Looking closely, he could see, in the light, the general outline of a bearded, balding man; Cave Johnson, probably, if the portrait he saw while exploring for anything useful was accurate. There was a faint gust of wind that sounded like a thank-you rushing from the spirit; pointy human-loop ears never were as good at hearing spirits as real Hylian ears.

As the light of the gate to the afterlife faded, it gathered into a mask, as per the standard for that song, which fell to the ground as the poisonous gas ceased to flow. This mask, unusually for such masks, looked largely human, although there were metallic and plasticine aspects to it that resembled the harness hanging from the ceiling above him. Judging from the hair, it was female. Early on, Link had been surprised by how hominid the masks and forms they gave him could be, compared to the spirits the masks derived from; he had long since ceased to be surprised after the fifteenth mask gained from putting an animal gave him a bipedal form, so the lack of resemblance of the mask to the metallic and plasticine core the spirit had been trapped in was curious, as always, but no longer confusing at all. Link shrugged, and put the mask into his subspace pocked. He'd find a use for a female cyborg form eventually.

* * *

3.5

Zelda awoke to scorching heat. That, in and of itself, wasn't that unusual. Most of the towers that she woke up imprisoned in seemed to have absolutely no ventilation. However, the light shining in her face and the wind howling told her she was in the desert. She sat up from the bed she was laying on and glanced around. From her skin tone and, she pulled a strand of her hair in front of her face, her hair color, she was almost certainly a Gerudo. Those were always interesting loops. Idly, Zelda wondered if she would be the long lost Hyrulian Princess, or if it would turn out that Nabooru switched places with her. As her Loop memories slowly filtered in, she paused. She had arrived well before she usually did, and...

"Mom, mom, look what I found!"

A red-headed Gerudo child burst into the tent, a thin, broken sword clutched in his hands. He waved it around excitedly, and her Loop memories led her to speak without thinking.

"Be careful, my little Ganondorf. We don't want our strong protector to lose an eye, now do we?"

Oh boy.

* * *

Zelda, or rather, Zeviru, as she was named in this Loop, sat up in bed weakly. Over her time in the Loops, she had gained enough magic that she could stave of most sicknesses almost unconsciously. Unfortunately, that meant that when she got sick, she got hit hard.

She looked up as the flap of her tent opened, and Ganondorf stepped in. It was still so odd to see the Evil King standing there and not feeling at least a little fear, though she did feel a bit of a mother's apprehension at the lopsided smirk Ganondorf was wearing.

"I'm off, Mother."

Zelda smiled. "Oh, and where is my little Gan-Gan going now?"

His smile twitched, and then fell. "Please don't call me that."

Zelda smiled wider. "Oh, but you will always be my little Gan-G..."

Ganondorf coughed, loudly, before straightening. He struck his "Guardian of the Desert" pose, staring out of the tent flap, and Zelda smiled as she looked at the man her son had become. "And isn't that an odd thought, Ganondorf as my son."

"Soon. Soon, you will no longer have to live in this ragged tent, underneath the heat of that unbearable sun. Soon, the Gerudo people will take their rightful place. I, Ganondorf, shall see to it. I shall bring our people to greatness!" He turned to look at her and grinned. "Mother, tomorrow I ride...for Hyrule!"

Zelda froze, then sighed. "I suppose I knew this day was coming." She opened her eyes, and smiled, wanly at him. "Son, I have some things to tell you before you go."

* * *

Ganondorf sat, transfixed, as his mother finished her tale. She was staring down at her thin blanket, obviously lost in thought. Ganondorf sat back, thinking on what he had just learned, of Loops and Anchors and his... other self. Then, he began to laugh.

His mother looked up at his laughter, her face drawn in confusion. He stood, raising his arms up in his joy. "My victory is assured. By right of birth, I am both King of the Gerudo, and the rightful heir to the throne of Hyrule. I shall unite both under my reign, and bring all people together in my most glorious nation. Fear not, mother, for I shall reclaim thy throne!" Still laughing, he spun and exited the tent.

Zelda, sat there, before a coughing fit broke her out of her reverie. "Well, that wasn't what I wanted him to get out of that. Poor Link." She paused, then shrugged. "Payback for trying to get my attention by throwing a Cucco through my window." Zelda shuddered.

* * *

3.6 - (Crisis)

Zelda brushed her hair as she reflected on how she'd learned that Hyrule was in a Linked Loop with its mirror counterpart Lorule. It had been difficult, since there was only one variation of her Loop so far that naturally had anything to do with Lorule, but the indicator was hardly subtle.

It was hard not to notice when an invasion you were fully expecting simply failed to happen.

So she'd investigated, slipping through the dimensional barrier between the mirror universes that was cracked and weak this Loop, and encountered a Loop-weary Hilda who was fully willing to let her kingdom collapse if it meant sparing other realms. The eternal chaos of Hyrule's mirror counterpart had worn Lorule's Anchor down over the course of the Loops until she was ready to simply give up.

And Zelda couldn't have that. Link may have had a number of lady friends over their numerous lifetimes before and during the Loops, including ones that Zelda found were quite pleasant to socialize with, but none were the kind of female peer that Hilda was. So she'd taken matters into her own hands and arranged a deal with the evil Yuga that she'd felt would lure Link into saving Lorule when he quested to defeat the threat to Hyrule.

It hadn't been until later that she'd even considered that Demise's curse might have helped guide that particular decision.

But it had worked. Link had defeated Yuga, and Zelda had discussed the Loops with the sole Lorule Anchor and come to a decision. Hilda had agreed to allow events to proceed as normal if she could not forestall disaster in Lorule on her own, and regardless of events she and Zelda would make time in those rare Loops where the boundary between their universes was thin enough to cross.

It had been rare to see Hilda, but so wonderful each time. They talked about their lives, the Loops, their respective off-and-on paramours (Ravio had apparently started looping soon after their agreement), and generally did the things normal girls got to do when they socialized but princesses like them didn't. Hilda was particularly interested in stories of fused Loops since she and Ravio apparently didn't get out of Lorule much.

One of the things Zelda talked with Hilda about at times was her hobby of trying to arrange possible alternate histories for future Loops, and the wildly varying heritages that she'd ended up with as a result. Hilda had taken to poking fun at her for being unable to stick to a single hair or eye color in response, and so she'd planned a prank in retaliation. The variation in her appearance wasn't for Link, though she hoped he appreciated it as well.

The resemblance between her and the fellow Anchor of Lorule was uncanny in any Loop. Now it was downright spooky.

It had taken several Loops of finding a dark-haired Sheikah that was suitable to court, but finally the history had taken for the current Loop as her genetic heritage and the serendipity of the Loops had done the rest. Her hair was a deep indigo. Her eyes were crimson. Her complexion just the slightest bit darker than than was usual in the baseline. She'd had the dress and regalia she was wearing custom made to match Hilda's preferred garb down to the stitch. She knew because she and Hilda tended to raid each other's closets whenever they got together and she'd kept a few in her subspace pocket (that she'd rather not be damaged if Hilda was less than amused). And her makeup was a textbook match for what Hilda normally used.

She could easily be taken as Hilda's identical twin.

She felt the portal form behind her and Hilda step through. Her counterpart's magical signature was unmistakable.

"Zelda," she heard the princess of Lorule call out flatly. She didn't sound amused.

Zelda turned around, and was promptly blindsided by hysterical laughter as she caught sight of her counterpart. Apparently the Loops had a pretty good sense of humor too.

Hilda, on the other hand, was most decidedly not amused.

"Why. Am. I. Blonde?"

* * *

3.7

Ganon stormed into the pitiful Hyrulian Ranch, smashing down the gate as he went. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to pay back that wench for what she did. A couple loops burning this place to the ground would be cathar"BAWK!"

Ganondorf looked down at the ground. A small white Cucco sat there, tilted over from where he had kicked it in his rage. Looking at it laying there was niggling at a memory, but he couldn't remember"BAWK!"

Ganondorf looked up, just in time to see the White Death descending.

* * *

3.8 - (gibbiousmoons)

Something was wrong.

Link stirred on his bed, pulled the covers off of his chest and sat up so he could look out his window. The familiar view was of a maze, and a small chest. He was in one of the stranger times for him to reincarnate, then. He was Link-the-boy-with-no-fairy. The young boy smiled. There was something he'd been wanting to do, for old time's sake.

Just then, a blue speck of light flew through his treehouse' door. "Wake- oh, you're already awake." Navi said. "The Great Deku Tree wants to see you, Link!"

"I'll be right there!" He said, and leaped out of bed, his old/new friend trailing behind him as he rolled off the balcony to the ground below.

Hopefully nothing much had changed, because Link was looking forward to meeting his friends again the old fashioned way.

* * *

_Some time later..._

"Something's wrong." Zelda said, laying down and looking up at the blue sky.

Beside her, Link blinked himself back into full wakefulness. "What?"

"Don't you think we've been sitting here a little longer than usual?" They'd been waiting to catch of glimpse of Ganondorf through the hall's window, so they could tell which particular variant they were dealing with this time.

"It's only been a few hours." Link said, but frowned. "Are you sure he was supposed to come talk to your father today?"

"Of course."

Link mumbled something under his breathe.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything!"

"No, you definitely said 'well excuse me, princess!'"

Link waved his hand. "So what if I. . . Hey Zelda?" His hand hung in the air.

"Yes?"

"Doesn't Impa usually come throw me out if we make too much noise? And where are the guards?"

The pair of Anchors climbed to their feet, and peered about intently. Link reached out and drew his Kokiri blade, the only sword that really fit right in his child-sized hands. Trying to use the Master Sword or any of his other blades, especially Biggoron's Sword, while in child form just didn't work. "Come on." He said, and took off for the exit with Zelda hot on his heels, a bow in her hands.

No Impa barred their way, and no guards were anywhere to be found as they charged down the path to Castle Town, and the distant sound of screams.

A mere minute later, they arrived, and Link swallowed dryly, but hefted his sword and shield nonetheless. Zelda drew her hand through the air, pulled an arrow forged of light and nocked it to her bow. "Oh no." She whispered.

"Oh Yessss." Ganondorf hissed, drawing out the last syllable as he flexed his fingers and pulled his sword out of the ruin that had once been the Temple of Time. A glowing triangle appeared on his hand, then vanished, and Hyrule's third Anchor snarled, "I've been waiting for this, Hero. This time. . . no cheating."

* * *

3.1) I guess Mister Ed isn't the only talking horse in the world.

3.2) Heroes need not wear green.

3.3) One fish, two fish, pile on you fish!

3.4) You call this a dungeon? Where are the flaming bats?

3.5) Behind every conqueror of the world, there is an exasperated mother.

3.6) Mirror mirror, Hi and Lo, where did all my black hair go?

3.7) The Cuccos LIKE Malon.

3.8) Now, the real fights begin.


	4. Chapter 4

**LEGEND OF ZELDA TIME LOOPS: In Which Ganondorf becomes...Magnificent!**

Author Note: I do not own the Legend of Zelda, or many of the ideas displayed in this fic. I am simply a humble chronicler compiling these stories for your amusement. Now, BE AMUSED!

* * *

4.1

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Hild slammed both of her hands on the desktop, rattling the screens. Skuld stood on the other side, with Epona nervously seated beside her. Hild raised her hands to point at Skuld.

"I have been working tirelessly with all of you to ensure that Yggdrasil doesn't go into a Full System Meltdown. I even agreed with you on having people on 'your side' act as the Anchors for the Time Loops, as Destruction isn't exactly what we need at this point. But!" She raised a single finger into the air. "I will not let you lock out an Evil Anchor, just because he caused your heroes some trouble."

"Some trouble?!" Skuld pointed at the screen in front of Epona. "He's crashed the Hyrule Loop six times in a dozen loops. Even Susanoo's Chosen Brat, Kamina took thirty to do the same thing. And, he shows no sign of stopping!"

"But can he break it?" Hild stepped forward, looking towards Epona. "I've read the articles. You used the Triforce as an Anchor, and didn't you set it to always seek the Balance of the Universe over all?"

Epona nodded weakly. "Yes, I mean, he can't use the Triforce to Ascend or permanently damage the Loop, as it just forces a Reset if that happens, but he is still..."

"Doing exactly what the Triforce expects him to do." Hild turned to look at Skuld. "Thanks to the choices you lot have made for Anchors, most of your universes are horribly unbalanced. Your little golden pyramid understands that it needs good and evil to balance its universe."

Skuld was silent for several moments, before she stormed out of the room, pausing just before she left to utter a terse "Fine." Hild smirked after her, then turned to Epona and smiled. "Keep up the good work." She left moments later.

Epona sat there for a moment, then turned to her station and sent off a message. She needed some stress relief, and it was amazing the massages one could give when one had eight limbs.

* * *

4.2

* * *

Link stared out at the devastation that covered Hyrule Field, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Moblins, soldiers, fairies, Gorons. The field was littered with bodies. Three, in particular, stood out to Link.

The first was Impa. The loyal bodyguard of Princess Zelda lay near the gates of the town, a circle of Moblins and Redead surrounding her as a testament to the fact that, while kind and caring, she was truly a force to be reckoned with.

The second, bizarrely, was Tingle. Over the course of the Loops, Link had learned of the existence of a demon named Uncle Rupee, who was apparently a spirit of Greed that sometimes was responsible for turning ordinary men into...Tingles. Link had quickly learned how to beat him, as apparently Rupees acted as both his power source and his weakness. In this Loop, however, the local Tingle had apparently had dreams of being a hero, inspired by tales of some of Link's past incarnations. This Tingle had not only defeated Uncle Rupee, but had also stripped him of his magic and power, becoming a mighty force for good. The broken forms of the three dragons, Gleeok, Aquamentus and Volvagia certainly showed Tingle's heroic potential.

The third was Zelda. They had both been Awake this Loop, and they had felt the pressure from the Triforce that indicated that Ganondorf was soon to be Awake, if he hadn't Awoken already. They had immediately made preparations, gathering forces after scouts revealed that an army of monsters was amassing in the Gerudo Valley. They had managed to get the Gorons to join them, bringing several loads of the Bomb Flowers that grew on their mountain. Link had visited the Temple of Time, and had drawn the Master Sword, using what he knew of it and of the dormant spirit, Fi, that dwelt within it to keep it from locking him in the Sacred Realm for the next few years.

Ganondorf's forces had attacked the city, swarming across Hyrule Field, and they were met by the forces gathered by Link and Zelda. It was amazing how a little training from the Hero of Time (not that they knew he bore, or would bear, that title) could do towards making the usually fairly incompetent city guards into a rather formidable fighting force. Everything had seemed to be going well, until Zelda vanished in a wave of dark fire. Link had spun around, having heard her gasp, just in time to see her disappear.

Immediately, he had felt along the connection to the Triforce of Wisdom and along the mental connection he had with Zelda. She can't have gone to far...there. With a burst of green light, he called on Farore's Wind, and vanished.

He reappeared on a small hill, near the burning ruin of the Lon Lon Ranch. Malon and her father had been moved into the city, as both Link and Zelda knew that, whether she was Awake or not, Ganondorf had something of a vengeful grudge against the part-Gerudo girl, and he seemed to take great pleasure in destroying the ranch whenever he could. Now, Zelda and Ganondorf were battling atop a small hill near the burning ruin. Zelda was dancing across the ground, the Bow of Light in her hands as she fired arrow after arrow at Ganondorf. On his part, Ganondorf seemed to have picked up some new tricks. He was dashing back and forth at high speed, occasionally stopping and sending out bursts of light from his eyes which knocked arrows off course. Then Ganondorf noticed Link. With a grin, he had vanished completely, just seeming to fade into the air. Zelda fired one last arrow at where he had been, then turned to look at Link.

If Link hadn't known any better, he would have assumed that he had played the Inverted Song of Time. The next moments seemed to happen in slow motion. Just as suddenly as he vanished, Ganondorf reappeared, standing right behind Zelda. Zelda was already turning, but Ganondorf was too close, and Link let out a strangled cry as Ganondorf's sword pierced through Zelda's heart. Idly, as he raced towards the battle, Link felt the tremor from the Triforce as Zelda died, leaving this Loop.

Between steps, Link equipped the Pegasus Boots, Bunny Hood, and he pulled a Pegasus Seed from his pouch. Ganondorf had just enough time to blink before Link hit him at around a hundred miles per hour. After around ten good strikes, Ganondorf managed to call on his new powers to match Link's speed.

Which was when Link swapped the Bunny Hood for the Goron Mask and used his own variation of the Spin Dash attack that blue hedgehog had shown him.

* * *

In the end, Link had emerged victorious. Now, he stood on the field, the last one standing. Some of the moblins and soldiers were probably still alive, but, at this point, Link could muster the energy to care. Slowly, he made his way back towards the city. They had won, this time, but next time they might not be so lucky. He needed to train more. He needed to get better.

* * *

4.3 (Mivichi)

* * *

The trees looked like trees. That was Link's first thought upon Awakening.

While far from profound, it had its importance. A few loops ago, the trees had, in fact, been man-hating, tree-shaped monsters intent on conquering the world. It was always good to know whether the shrubbery was plotting to eat you alive, Link mused as he reviewed his in-loop memories.

His memories told him that he was a teenager, trained as a swordsman by his father, who had raised Link in seclusion deep in the forest. His father had recently died during a fight with a giant, Moblin-like creature, and in-loop Link had decided to leave the forest to investigate the source of the trouble. Currently, he traveled a path towards Hyrule. Thanks to a traveling mask salesman, he knew it to be ruled by Princess Zelda and her consort, Vaati.

Link nearly tripped over nothing.

This loop was definitely a new variant. Glancing at the Triforce emblem on the back of his left hand, he decided to ping it for the statuses of the Power and Wisdom thirds. He frowned at the feedback. The Triforce of Wisdom lacked the usual close fit with Zelda that it usually had, as if something distorted the connection, and she showed no signs of being Awake.

In contrast, Ganondorf, while definitely Awake and in possession of the Triforce of Power, had absolutely no corruption tainting him or his shard.

Everything was downright weird. At least Link did not have to worry about Ganondorf knowing how to check if Link was Awake, probably; it was a technique Zelda had created.

As the trees became scattered enough to let full sunlight leak through the canopy, Link reached a crossroad. According to the faded lettering on the wooden signpost, Clocktown lay to the northeast, Hyrule Castle was directly east, and some place called Lonani Village could be found to the southeast.

After a moment's hesitation, Link turned his boots to the barely-trodden path to the southeast, heading for Lonani Village - and Ganondorf.

Wanting to travel faster without accidentally stealing Epona again, Link withdrew a bunny hood, a roc's cape, and a pair of pegasus boots from his subspace pocket. More and more frequent run-ins with a looping Ganondorf had encouraged him to find better ways to travel, but Link saved the options from outside Hyrule for real emergencies.

Besides, there would probably be a temple or dungeon with something useful in it along the way. He did not want to skip those.

* * *

Link pushed open the doors of Lon-Lon Bar, allowing them to swing shut behind him. He casually took a seat on a padded stool at the counter. His eyes raked over the drinks lined up behind the bartender, Ingo.

Ingo peered at link suspiciously. "I've never seen you around before." When Link returned his stare evenly and made no reply, the bartender reluctantly gave up and asked, "What can I get you?"

"Chateau Romani," Link replied.

Ingo started, his mustache pressed into a straight line and his eyebrows raised high. "What? That's 200 Rupees a bottle! Can a kid like you even afford it?"

Link pretended to dig through his belt purse while actually accessing his subspace pocket. He placed four purple Rupees on the bar and slid them towards Ingo. "I think I can," said Link calmly.

Ingo looked between the money and Link, even more suspicious, but swept the Rupees into the moneybox all the same before reluctantly handing over a Chateau Romani. Link uncorked it and sipped it slowly, enjoying the rich flavor. He simultaneously tamped down on his magic; with the effects of a good bottle of Chateau Romani and the amount of magic he had thanks to the loops, gulping down the milk without using any power caused strange side effects. Once, he had literally glowed and maybe accidentally started a cult.

LInk forced himself to remain relaxed as two very familiar people entered the bar and sat down a few seats from him. Both were heavily cloaked in illusion magic and likely did not realize that he could easily see through it. While he had hardly begun to work through learning how to draw upon the side effects of certain masks and items without equipping them, the Lens of Truth had served as his test case.

He drank more of his milk.

The two others ordered high-grade Lon-Lon Milk with berry liqueur added. The one in the purple cloak quaffed his drink and cursed. "I can't believe we are sitting at the same bar as the hero," the young man complained to his companion. "First I wake up as a real Hylian, and then I realize that I'm married to a Zelda who is crazier than a sack of Cuccos. All we need is to find out next is that the hero was also dropped on his head too much as a kid and is perfectly willing to skewer us instead of Her Royal Asylum Reject."

Vaati had always been a snide one, but it sounded like this loop had pushed him to his limit.

"Peace, Vaati," replied Ganondorf in a tone that implied 'shut up or else'. "Both you and I were much the same not so long ago. Were it not for the actions of that one girl present during the Hero of the Moon variant, I would have already killed you."

"You would have tried," countered Vaati, "but I would be working with the evil princess and would have killed you first. She is ridiculously overpowered."

Both drank more as Ganondorf contemplated Vaati's words. "I think you underestimate my abilities," Ganondorf concluded. "Still, a toast to Serenity for returning our minds to us."

Link almost choked on his milk. During the loop where he and Zelda had replaced Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, Usagi might have visited Link's home loop. If anything could purify an evil god's curse of hatred, she and her Silver Crystal could.

And now Vaati and Ganondorf weren't villains even though both were Awake? Link did not want to deal with this or, more specifically, them.

Said villains clinked their bottles together sardonically before finishing their drinks.

Vaati blew a strand of hair out of his face. "We need to do something about Zelda. Much as I like ruling Hyrule, she isn't worth it, and she plans on targeting you sooner or later. Let's be allies this time around?"

"Help me protect the Gerudo from the princess, and I will help you in turn," Ganondorf promised, wiping away a milk mustache. "We will gather troops, obtain power from the Great Fairies, and raze the castle to the ground, killing all who stand against us."

Vaati nodded. "Agreed, as long as you are willing to help me build a new castle afterwards. Think we can get the hero on our side? Maybe kidnap someone, threaten their life unless he helps us?" Vaati questioned approvingly. "He usually likes those farm girls, right?"

Link sighed. Yeah, they definitely were still Ganondorf and Vaati. He downed the rest of the milk, stood up, and walked over to them as the magic rushed through him. The villains flinched in surprise when he broke the illusion by using his double clawshots to latch onto them both.

"Shit, he's Awake," Vaati cursed, hand going up to cast a spell.

Link tugged on the clawshots to knock them both off-balance and disrupt their spells. "You know," said Link as he used his pocket to instantaneously switch into the outfit fairies had given him during a fused Kingdom Hearts loop, mostly black with an amazing amount of zippers and belts, "I think the three of us need to talk."

He grinned and cast a modified version of Farore's Wind. In a haze of green light, they vanished from the bar.

* * *

Dropping out of the warp circle, Link and his two drag-alongs landed in the middle of an island in front of this Hyrule's water temple. He dropped them just in time to dodge a blast from each side as both Vaati and Ganondorf fired curses at him.

"I really did just want to talk," Link said while equipping both an adult-sized Lokomo Sword and a Phantom Sword directly from his subspace pocket, "but I am totally fine with doing this first."

Ganondorf grimaced at the sight of the swords. After a loop where he had caught an Awake Link off-guard and poorly-armed, the hero had taken to collecting swords - with a focus on anti-evil swords - from the many variants, much to the villain's displeasure. Link even had a few Master Swords that lacked a spirit sleeping inside them.

Still, Ganondorf kept his sword raised. "I do not trust the sincerity of your words." Then, reconsidering, he said, "Or I would not, if you were not such an idiot."

Vaati stood with his arms raised, hands aglow with magic and aimed firmly at Link. "We can talk like this," he suggested.

"Or we can fight first, talk later," Link replied. "I'm sure none of us want to end up dead or sealed, so how about a friendly spar?"

The possibility of a serious fight without a bad end had its appeal. Ganondorf smiled like a shark. "How friendly?"

Somewhat surprised that Ganondorf was not against the idea, Link drew on the rules he usually used when fighting friendly loopers. "No dismemberment, death, or permanent maiming. Otherwise, anything goes."

"And both of us against you," Vaati replied without hesitation.

Link breathed slowly, in and out. That would be a challenge, but he had confidence in his abilities. "Agreed," he finally responded, and the other two attacked him even as he spoke.

* * *

Sitting on a freshly-cut tree stump, Link took a long swig from a bottle of blue potion before tossing a couple of extra bottles to Ganondorf and Vaati on the log across from him. The hero pulled out a handkerchief and wiped sweat from his face as he observed the rest of the island, or what remained of it.

The ground around them varied between charred black and frozen ice and was peppered with arrows. Swords of various styles and sizes were stuck in the soil, in trees, a boulder, and the monument that had been in the center of the island. Link made a mental note to retrieve them before he left.

Part of him still could not believe that he was anywhere in Vaati and Ganondorf's vicinity without them all trying to kill each other... much. He gave a short laugh. "That was surprisingly fun."

Vaati snorted. "You didn't get stabbed-"

"Yes, I did. Twice," Link pointed out. Ganondorf radiated smugness.

"-with a light arrow," Vaati finished. "Was that some sort of test?"

"It did less damage than usual, ergo you are less evil than usual," Link said with a shrug. "It was the easiest way to be sure you weren't lying."

Ganondorf thought that a lingering grudge against previous actions of himself and Vaati did more to explain some of Link's methods but felt no need to announce such aloud. "Enough chatter. Will you oppose us or assist us this loop, hero?"

"As much as I hate to admit it," Link replied with forced cheer, "Serenity really did get rid of Vaati's corruption and your curse. If that means we won't be fighting every loop, I'll deal with it. Right now, this loop's Zelda is the only threat I plan on fighting." A slight waver in his voice was the only sign of how the thought discomfited him.

Vaati's eyes widened with mild surprise. "So you won't mind us killing this Zelda and taking over Hyrule?"

Link wiggled his hand. "I don't want to kill her, but I will help you." He hesitating before adding, "Make sure that she doesn't have descendants, or else a reincarnation might remember and become an insane Zelda in a future loop. The Triforce of Wisdom allows crap like that."

Ganondorf looked poleaxed. "That explains much," was all he said.

Vaati looked up at Ganondorf, decided not to ask, and looked past Ganondorf to Link. "With you working with us, I think we can afford a direct assault of Hyrule Castle with minimal preparation." He gestured smoothly, allowing shimmering purple magic to flow between them and resolve into an illusionary model. "This is the the layout of the rooms, and the layers of protection we have to nullify..."

* * *

Vaati brushed off his robes and gazed around the newly-made ruins of Hyrule Castle, then downed the last half of a bottle of Chateau Romani. Strutting to one of the few pieces of architecture still standing, he dropped the empty bottle and kicked the cracked and battered column to the ground. "Now that was a good time," he said airily, unconsciously cuddling a salvaged magical staff that had served him very well in the final battle as he popped a new celebratory bottle.

Ignoring the drunken Vaati, Ganondorf folded his arms as he pondered the dusty remains that marked all that was left of the monster into which Zelda had transformed. In any other loop he had experienced, that would have been himself. The twist in the situation made him feel strangely uncomfortable, even if the result had been favorable overall.

Link, carefully not looking in the same direction as Ganondorf, held this loop's Master Sword under a beam of the light. Instincts born of past loops screamed at him to stick it in Ganondorf and Vaati before they showed their true evil, but Link forced the feeling down. Taking a vacation after looting the rest of the temples present in this loop sounded better and better the more he thought about it.

His gaze twitched towards Vaati. Covertly checking in on the formerly-evil overlords occasionally would be a good idea. Interventions might be required.

Link hoped this loop would end up as a funny story to tell Zelda the next time he saw her. Embarrassing pictures would help. He slid out his deluxe picto box and aimed the lens at the intoxicated sorcerer.

* * *

4.4 (KrisOverStreet)

* * *

It was a bar. All three of them were Awake, adult and recovering from a Loop they wanted very badly to forget. The fact that two of them hated the third with a passion, and the third hated them back with a passion that had only recently been reduced from demonic to merely mortal, was washed away by a tide of alcohol.

The tankards had begun to overshadow the table by the time Link asked the question. "So, Ganon... did you ever... y'know... win?"

Ganondorf set his tankard down. "Of course I did," he rumbled. "Dozens of times. In all the different incarnations. I have killed you..." He released the mug to count on his fingers for a few seconds before finishing, "in one hundred and seventeen distinct and unique ways. If you'd held still while I raised the anvil, it would have been a hundred and eighteen."

The thought sobered both Link and Zelda (currently in her Sheik guise-it caused less annoyance in dive bars, she'd found) enough to chug their drinks and wave to the bar-wench for fresh ones. Still, a thought so horrible is like an aching tooth; you just can't help prodding it. "So you actually achieved your fondest wish?" Link asked. "Absolute, supreme power?"

"Well..." Ganon took a healthy drink of his own mug and considered the point. "Technically Demise's curse wanted the destruction of the world. I suppose every premature Loop ending counts for that. But absolute supreme power? I wished for that once. Precisely. Once." Now it was Ganondorf's turn to drain his mug.

After the wench brought fresh mugs and a barrel to cart off the empties, Ganondorf elaborated. "This was a very early Loop for me- my third or fourth time through the setting I was born in, where you lived in the forest with those tree spirits. I played you like a puppet from beginning to end. I knew exactly what choices you would make and when. I was two steps ahead of you every step of the way, and then- when everything was in place- I took the Master Sword from you, locked the both of you in a dungeon for my later entertainment, and took the Triforce from the Temple of Time.

"And I made my wish."

With that Ganondorf raised his fresh tankard and drained it at a single draw. A drunk at the next table over cheered, but a single glare from Ganondorf silenced him.

"What happened then?" Link asked.

"The Loop crashed," Ganondorf said. "And I Awoke in a new place... in a technological era. I was a teenage student in a high school, and my best friend was the president of this club-"

"We don't talk about Eiken," Link said quickly.

"All of them were Gerudo," Ganondorf continued. "My sisters. My MOTHER was the club sponsor. There was even this young student with-"

"We do NOT talk about Eiken!" Link said more firmly.

"They were all around me with... those... things... I couldn't stand it... so horrible..."

"You should try HAVING those things once," Zelda snarled over her mask.

Ganondorf's eyes widened. First he stared at Zelda, obviously altering her slim physique with his eyes. Then he looked down at his own chest for a moment. With a full-body shudder he grabbed both the other Loopers' tankards, drained one, and then the other, slamming them down so hard on the table that one of them cracked.

"Since then," he gasped, "I have learned to be more circumspect about what I wish for."

* * *

4.5 (Crisis)

* * *

Ganondorf Awoke and stared at the single most impossible thing he'd ever encountered.

His son.

Even discounting the fact that loopers couldn't have children when Awake, the idea of a Gerudo male siring a son due to the 'one male every hundred years' curse was ludicrous. Even if his Loop memories told him that he'd cut a deal with a previous Zelda to be put to sleep for decades so there would be the chance he could sire a son and break the Gerudo curse (since in this variant, it could apparently be broken if a Gerudo male sired another Gerudo male), the sheer odds against that happening were still astronomical given the size of the Gerudo tribe (especially in this variant) and the number of women who were pregnant at any given time.

But there he was.

His son.

Link.

Ganondorf felt a migraine coming on.

* * *

4.6 (KrisOverStreet)

* * *

The mighty gun and its tracks lay in ruins around the rim of the Sacred Grounds. The turf of the pit buckled and rippled with scars of torn turf and fallen rocks. Small fires smouldered here and there in the ivy that climbed the stone cliffs.

And in the center of it all, a demon lay dying.

"You have not won, Hylia," the demon gasped. "So long as the Triforce survives, so shall I. So long as you are reincarnated, I shall return to torment you. If you share the mortals' fate, then you shall share the mortal's curse."

The demon turned to Link and said, "And you also I curse, boy." And then the demon turned to the third figure, the tall, muscular redhead who still held the hammer he'd been using to keep his ingenious device in the battle as long as possible. "And you... you also I curse. You and your descendants shall never now happiness, never know peace, never know anything except the greed for wealth and power."

The last of the demon's power struck out at the three... and bounced off an invisible wall three times.

"Already have done," Groosendorf rumbled, bringing the hammer down on what was left of the demon's head before it could dissolve.

Afterwards, moments before the Loop reset, he added, "That felt so VERY good."

* * *

4.7 - (Dalxein)

* * *

"Hello everyone... My name is Ganon."

"Hello, Ganon"

"But I prefer Ganondorf. It's a lot more regal and I prefer that version of myself."

From the back, a couple villains mumbled, "Hello, Ganondorf."

"And... I'm not a very nice person."

"Aww, that's okay." Chrysalis said, patting him on the shoulder. "Most of us here aren't very nice... except her." She nodded over towards Derpy Hooves, who really had no reason to be there, but she wasn't going to question it. "What matters is learning to not be mean. Nice is for ponies."

"Pon...eys."

"Yes, dearie." She turned to the Unawake Sombra. "How is your speech therapy coming?"

"Sombra... re-learning pro-por sentence structures now." the dark unicorn managed.

"Good to hear. A millennium without anyone to talk to- awful, just awful. We're all glad to hear you're making progress, aren't we everyone?"

"Good work, Sombra."

* * *

4.8 (SpaceKGreen)

* * *

Ganondorf smiled. He had felt it soon after he had Awakened; something was different about the Triforce of Courage. Someone else had replaced Link in this Loop.

And a truly gracious host should always provide for their guests.

So he had pulled out all the stops. Conquering Hyrule, crushing the populace, spreading darkness across the lands, the works.

Sadly, Zelda wasn't Awake. He was sure she would have appreciated the show.

Playing the final notes on his pipe organ, Ganondorf rose, turning to meet the Looper who had replaced Link.

There was a small moment of terror when he saw that the arrival had pink hair, but he was able to mask that with an evil grin as he realized that, fortunately, it wasn't that Sakura girl.

This girl was shorter, had straight hair with spiky ends, and had a very jaded look about her.

He was about to start his grand speech, when the girl raised a hand to interrupt him.

"Look, I know you're probably all ready for a fight and everything, but I had a really rough time in my last Loop and I was hoping to get some rest." said the girl. "So, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The easy way is, I poke you with this sword a couple of times, you give a dramatic speech of defeat, we all go home happy. The hard way? You don't want the hard way."

Ganondorf smirked. "And here I am, going to all this trouble to make this interesting for you. I'd feel rather... disappointed if we didn't make a real show of this."

"Yeah? And I wanted a pony. Hmm, there was that ranch on the way here, I'll have to check it out..." mused the girl, apparently drifting off.

"I'm afraid I have to insist. And I have to admit, you've piqued my curiosity."

"Fine, hard way it is. Don't say I didn't warn you." The girl shifted her attention to a point behind Ganondorf... then turned around, sheathing her sword. "Bobobo? Sic 'em."

Ganondorf turned and stared in surprise, as a tall muscular man, wearing sunglasses and a blue shirt, and wielding a large blonde afro, emerged from a small savings and loans where his pipe organ used to be, arguing with a spiky orange ball about how to invest his stock of vintage gummy worms.

He was totally unprepared for the Old Ladies Bingo Night to the side of his head.

Things just went downhill from there.

* * *

It took quite a few loops for Ganondorf to mentally recover.

It took considerably longer for him to... convince Link and Zelda to give up the pictures they took of him in his impromptu drag queen phase.

* * *

4.1) As the saying goes, you need a few rotten eggs to make an omelet. Wait...

4.2) Zelda gets her Aerith Moment.

4.3) The curse is broken! Now, the real fun begins.

4.4) Eiken: A fate you wouldn't wish even on your own worst enemy. Because then, they steal your drink to drown the memories.

4.5) Their family tree is full of knots by this point.

4.6) Hammers: They're not just for violent, teenage girls anymore.

4.7) I am bad, and that's good. There is no-one I'd rather beat than Link.

4.8) It would appear surrealism can substitute for the Master Sword in a pinch.


	5. Chapter 5

**LEGEND OF ZELDA LOOPS: LET THE FUN BEGIN!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda, or many of the ideas in this fic. This fic is for fun, not profit.

* * *

5.1 - (Crisis)

* * *

Zelda pouted as her little sister Malon laughed her butt off.

"This really isn't that funny, you know," Zelda Harkinian Antes Lon-Lon de Hyrule groused at the younger princess.

"Yes it is!" Malon Daphnes Tetra Lon-Lon de Hyrule squealed in reply.

"When I said I wanted to be a princess, this wasn't what I meant," the older sister glared.

"I know!" the younger sister giggled maniacally. "But when I forged official ties with your family, I had no way of being certain that this Loop would take that one as its history and merge our families. I certainly didn't think you'd end up being the older sister!"

"Yeah, yeah," Zelda muttered. "Laugh it up 'squirt'."

Malon just kept grinning like a maniac, until she suddenly gasped. "OHMYGOSH!"

"What?!" Zelda whipped around, trying to see what had gotten her little sister this Loop so worked up.

"I'm not the heir this time!" Malon's eyes were wide and bright. "Do you know what this means?!"

"Uh, no...?" Zelda hedged.

"I might not have to be the princess next Loop!" Malon exulted.

Zelda blinked.

"Maybe I can marry a farmer, and if the next Loop takes this one as its history, I can be the farm girl for once!" Malon turned her excitement towards her sister this Loop. "Ooo, I can'twait to see the look on Link's face when he sees that!"

"What do you actually know about farming? Or ranching for that matter?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Absolutely nothing!" Malon chirped. "How about you teach me?"

Zelda looked at the little sister who currently had the name that should be hers and should have had the name she herself currently held. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

5.2

* * *

Zant floated above the platform as Link panted below him. This Loop had been particularly draining, as in this variant, the "god" empowering Zant was apparently Majora, though luckily, no moon had been called down to crush the world. Ganondorf had been imprisoned in the Twilight Realm, but he had broken free and now Link, Ganondorf, and Midna (who wasn't Awake), were all facing down Zant.

Zant laughed as the Mask on his face continued to distort, long tendrils of shadow sliding out of his body. "Ha, yes, feel my hatred. Feel the despair of those banished from the light of the world. Ha haha hahahahahaHahAhaHAHAHAHA!"

Link tensed, reaching into his subspace pocket. The Fierce Deity Mask wasn't his favorite mask to wear. It was too easy for him to go into a bezerker rage, but, as he was facing the Mask, it would probably work properly. However, before he could pull out the mask, Ganondorf stepped forward.

"You want to feel hatred! Then feel mine, the Sealed Hatred of the Lord of Demons!" Dark flames burst around his body, and he raced forward, vaulting up a fallen block of stone, and shot into the air. The dark indigo flames spread around him, extending outward into the shape of a giant boar. With a thunderous roar, the burning boar slammed into the tendrils that surrounded Zant, ripping them apart as it drove into the insane King of Shadows.

* * *

As Midna stepped back through the portal to the Twilight Realm, the Mirror shattering behind her, Link glanced at Ganondorf out of the corner of his eye. The form he had taken in battle felt familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen or heard of it before. Ganondorf caught Link's gaze and smirked, before he turned and vanished in a wave of dark fire.

* * *

5.3 - (TricornKing)

* * *

"The name of the game," said Glados as the players took their seats, "is Texas Hold 'Em."

As each player took a look at the cards they were dealt, Wreck-It Ralph turned to his left. "So Ganondorf, how have things been man?"

Ganondorf added $800 to the pot for his check. "I've been doing rather well, Ralph. The loops have been especially crazy lately, but what else is new?" There was a general murmur of agreement from the other players.

"Don't I know it," added Bowser as he folded his hand. "Did you know, last loop I was in was a crossover with that My Little Pony universe? I'd replaced one of their regular villains, some unicorn named King Sombra, and was trying to reclaim some sort of Crystal Empire."

"Doesn't sound so bad," said King Dedede as he raised by about $1000. While Ralph folded, Ganondorf matched Dedede's raise. Glados then dealt the flop, a King of Spades, a Joker of Hearts and a Ten of Diamonds.

"Yeah, but I was some kind of giant pony-dragon-turtle-kirin-thing," said Bowser as Ganondorf bet $800. "Couldn't even really breath fire, though I had some nifty shadow powers with a nice fear-based area of effect aura." The white's of Bowser's eyes suddenly turned green as a purple haze began flowing from them, while the lights in The Inventory began to dim as shadows seemed to try and shallow every light source available.

Feeling a curt tapping at his shoulder from Winslow, one of the patrons, Bowser sheepishly reigned it back in. "Looking forward to seeing how Mario will react to that.," Bowser added. "He won't be seeing that coming at least."

Dedede had matched Ganondorf's raise, and Glados had dealt the turn, a Queen of Spades. Ganondorf tapped his fingers for a check. Dedede, rubbing his hands together with glee, pushed his $10,000 pile forward, saying, "Well boys, I'm going all in."

Barely raising an eyebrow, Ganondorf simply pushed half of his pile in as well. The two kings then revealed their hole cards, Dedede having a King of Diamonds and a Queen of Hearts. Ganondorf, meanwhile, had an Ace of Spades and an Ace of Diamonds.

The assembled players winced at the sight. Dedede slumped back in his seat, saying, "Alright already, just get it over with." Glados then dealt the river, which turned out to be a Ten of Hearts.

"King Dedede has...Two Pair," said Glados, " while our Gerudo friend has...A Straight. Ganondorf wins the hand."

"A pleasure doing business with you," said Ganondorf as he reached out and pulled the pot of chips to himself.

"King Dedede has been eliminated from the tournament," said Glados as she lowered herself from the ceiling. "Don't be sad. It's only money. Your money. $20,000 of it. Right down the train."

"Ah, stick it where the sun don't shine," said Dedede as he hopped off the table.

* * *

5.4 - (KrisOverStreet)

* * *

"I don't think you understand," Ganondorf said calmly. "I am not a magical clown sent here to sing and dance for your amusement. I am the reincarnation of a primal force of hatred and destruction... well, I used to be, anyway," he finished lamely, recalling a certain pigtailed princess.

"I think you used to be one of those here, too," the boy replied. "Then you got stuck in an oil lamp and buried in a cave of wonders for ten thousand years."

"And that's supposed to make me less violent?"

"It worked for the guy you're replacing."

Ganondorf shook his head in disgust. "Very well. Since I can't seem to break this geas... yet... I'll obey your commands, Aladdin." The Gerudo-turned-genie folded his arms solemnly and added, "But I absolutely refuse to participate in any musical numbers!"

Aladdin shrugged and said, "No promises..."

* * *

5.5 - (farsan & Gulping)

* * *

"I swear by Naryu that if I have to suffer through another Cuckoocalypse, I will somehow find a way to get a Cuckoo in the Royal Bloodline and make you two Rue the day!"

* * *

"Why is a chicken analogue on the list of Contraband Material?"

An audible creaking noise was heard as Epona and Skuld slowly turned their heads to Glare at the questioner with a combined intensity of .834 Fluttershys.

The senior admin pushed a button, displaying the Devastator Fleets of Cucco Queen Zelda undocking from the orbital shipyards over a scorched and ruined Hyrule, ready to embark on their mission to make the galaxy submit to the Abominable Angel's iron-taloned rule.

"Oh."

* * *

5.6 - (OracleMask)

* * *

" - so he says, 'this sword is so sharp you can trim a statue's hair with it', and I told him that sounds great, but I won't believe him until I get a chance to test it."

Sitting around a corner table in Eden Hall, several heads nodded. The speaker, a black haired lad who looked a little too young to be in a bar in the first place, waved his arms around as he told his story.

"Ne, Kirito, surprised he didn't get pissed off for not believing him," a white haired boy with red facial tattoos pointed out.

"No, this is the best part - he handed the sword over and turned into a statue so I could test it! I was so surprised I didn't think to cut off his head until after I gave him the new look," Kirito explained.

The other three burst out laughing. It was a struggle to keep their voices down - anyone who got too loud in Eden Hall was removed from the bar by the surprisingly multi-talented bartender who ran it - but they managed it. None of them wanted to be kicked out of their favorite bar.

"Weird loop," the lone girl at the table said, "So what has everyone else been doing? You have been keeping up the scythe training, right Haseo?"

She gave the white-haired boy a suspicious glare. He glared right back.

"Idiot Maka, what else would I be doing?" Haseo retorted, "Aside from collecting swords for Link's stupid bet -"

"You only think it was a stupid bet because you lost," Link replied cheerfully, "What did you say again? 'No way in hell can anybody keep totally silent for a hundred loops!' You were tempting fate and you know it."

"You're both stupid," Maka muttered.

* * *

5.7 - (Crisis)

* * *

Zelda Awoke sleeping. It happened to her at times. She'd Awaken in a Loop while her incarnation for that Loop was still asleep. It was actually something of a boon in her opinion and gave her time to reflect on things.

Things like her last Loop. It hadn't been the first time that she'd spearheaded a cultural revolution in Hyrule by embracing the traditions of one of their neighbors. Heck, it wasn't the first time that she'd chosen the Gerudo to do it with. She rather liked how the traditional desert outfit looked on her, and generally so did Link. Plus the 'scandalousness' of it tended to send her advisers into fits which was always entertaining.

No, the interesting thing was that she'd finally managed to figure out the formula of politics that allowed for the possibility of a marriage between one of her hypothetical sons and a daughter of the Gerudo tribe without forcing the throne of Hyrule to automatically pay homage to the Gerudo king when he was born.

There was an interesting trait of her home Loop that actions in one Loop could randomly become the history of a later Loop. Zelda was fascinated by this and one of the hobbies she'd taken to was making changes that would cause great alterations to a future Loop if they became such a history, and then watching what happened as a result.

One of her longest projects involved arranging to become a Gerudo. Sure, she'd looped in as a Gerudo before. Heck, she'd once been part of a forgotten illegitimate branch of the royal family by way of a Gerudo lover and wound up Ganondorf's mother (and hadn't that been a strange Loop). But she'd yet to be both Gerudo and legitimate princess of Hyrule at the same time. She was determined to pull it off one of these Loops, if only to see the look on Link's face.

Opening her eyes, she got out her bed, one standard for Hylian royalty, and made her way to the vanity as she began examining her Loop memories. Only to be stopped by the sight in the mirror.

Flame red hair. Amber eyes. Desert tan skin. On top of Hylian ears and a face very much typical for her.

'That was fast,' was all she could think.

Oh, and she was young enough that she could look forward to yet another exciting bout of puberty.

Examining her Loop memories closely, she quickly determined that her last Loop was indeed the history for this one. A son of hers (that she hadn't conceived in the last Loop due to the restrictions on loopers having children) had indeed been wed to a Gerudo woman. They'd had a gerudo daughter who was named Zelda as royal tradition mandated. She had married a Hylian nobleman and had...

Oh. Oh, my.

The sound of her door opening caused her to turn her head to see who was entering, and froze. It was her father for this Loop. Her Gerudo father.

His Royal Highness King Ganondorf Harkinian Daphnes Nohansen de Hyrule.

Who was clearly Awake.

"I have no idea what's going on 'daughter', but I have the strangest feeling you're responsible."

* * *

5.8 - (SpaceKGreen)

* * *

Link Awoke in a bed.

Immediately he noticed that something seemed a bit off.

He scanned his Loop memories. Nothing seemed out of place; it was another Loop where he started in Kokiri Forest.

Link was still lying in bed, trying to pinpoint what was wrong, when Navi flew in.

"Link! The Great Deku Tree wants to see... you... Link? Where are you?"

Link opened his mouth to reply.

"Woof."

Ah. So that's the reason.

* * *

Inside the Great Deku Tree, Link took a moment to gather his thoughts, while desperately fighting the urge to scratch himself.

Apparently the Link of this timeline was a wolf.

A wolf puppy, at the moment.

At least he still had his hat.

He had already verified that it apparently wasn't a curse this time, and despite his Looper knowledge, he seemed to not have any technique or spell to change himself back to normal.

It had taken him a while to convince Navi that yes, he was Link. Mido had tried to block him again, but retrieving a shield and the Kokiri sword, plus a bit of leg chewing, had convinced him to let Link pass.

He stood back up, and stretched. This would be an interesting challenge.

If only he didn't have this urge to sniff or lick... things.

* * *

Bleh, thought Link. Gohma tastes nasty.

* * *

Link sat, tongue lolling, silently laughing to himself, as the unawake Zelda tried to hold back her squeeing, and failed miserably.

Apparently puppies were enough to break her serious-Princess facade. Who knew?

He was very glad he had somehow managed to teach Navi to use a digital camera he had in his subspace pocket. Awake Zelda was going to like this.

* * *

He was right, this HAD been a challenging Loop so far.

Being a puppy did get him places, but it only got him so far. Darunia had been nigh impossible to get to, since Saria hadn't given Link her Ocarina.

He ended up having to outright steal the Sapphire, since Princess Ruto wasn't about to propose to a wolf.

As Link raced back to Hyrule Castle, an idea came to him. He grinned, and ran faster.

* * *

Ganondorf growled in anger as he pulled his horse to a stop. The Princess brat and her babysitter had gotten away from him.

No matter, he thought. Sooner or later, they'll turn up. And then I'll-

His thought was interrupted, as pain shot up his leg.

Looking down, roaring with anger, he saw a young wolf latched onto his shin, biting down HARD.

The damn thing was extremely persistent, hanging on despite Ganondorf's increasingly desperate attempts to shake it off.

Finally shaking it off, he readied a ball of dark magic, ready to tear the wolf apart...

...only to find it was quicker than he thought, and had disappeared.

And then it bit his other leg.

* * *

Link watched from a safe vantage point as Ganondorf ranted and raged around Hyrule field.

This was priceless.

Navi was still recording, barely able to hold onto the camera in her laughter.

This was going to be fun to show the Awake Ganondorf later.

* * *

In the Temple, Link stared at the Ocarina of Time between his paws.

Wait. How am I going to use this?

* * *

Link was getting nervous. He had gone through several Loops stuck as a wolf now, and now he was in a Fused Loop with that one wolf, Amaterasu, if he recalled the name correctly.

And the looks she kept giving him were starting to get disturbing.

* * *

Epona stared at the screen.

"This marker... So that's why he kept getting stuck as a wolf. Ammy? Have you been messing with my console? Are you trying to set up your analogue with Link?"

But Amaterasu had already fled the office.

* * *

5.9 - (SpaceKGreen)

* * *

Demise stood in his self-created realm, waiting for the human who had caught his attention.

It's almost a pity, he mused, that it's only a mere human.

Sure, the boy had taken down Ghirahim, who had seem oddly subdued when Demise recalled him. But against the full might of the Demon King, not even the gods could stand.

And then he would return to his task of taking apart the land of the so-called gods and claiming their precious Trifo-

Demise's thought was interrupted as he noticed something beneath his feet.

Two long bars of metal stretched into the horizon, with an odd pattern of triangles between them.

He hadn't created these. And what was that noise coming up behind-

CHOO CHOO

It hit him.

* * *

Link was having a hard time breathing from laughter as he went to retrieve the Master Sword from where it was fastened on the front of the Spirit Train.

Somehow managing to carry the Spirit Train with him after that one Loop? A lot of training to increase his subspace pocket, and a lot of searching through Fused Loops for some shrinking technology or magic.

Bamboozling the gods into redefining the normally annoying "Spirit Trials"? A lot of fast talking, and several promised favors that were probably going to bite him in the rear later.

The look on Demise's face right before the charged up Spirit Train hit him?

Priceless.

Link hoped that this Loop would form the history of the next few home Loops. Demise had ended up dying before he could leave his curse this time around. A few vacation Loops sounded nice.

* * *

5.10 - (SpaceKGreen)

* * *

Link stared at the mask in his hands.

It had seemed to be a fairly standard Majora Loop up until this point. All the masks had been the same, save for a few cosmetic differences, such as the blue Postman's hat.

But when he had traded away his last mask and walked to the Majora's Mask wearing kid, the Fierce Deity's mask that the kid gave him had been... quite different.

He stared at the mask in his hands, and a smile slowly started to spread across his face.

* * *

Ganondorf spun around as something crashed through the windows of his tower.

How had that hero bypassed his barrier?

His mind came to a halt as he processed the sight before him.

It was very large.

And very green.

The only sign that it was the Hero was the tunic bottom and tights that barely stretched over its legs, and the small green hat precariously balanced on its head.

Green eyes locked onto his, and a truly terrifying grin appeared on the monster's face.

'_Din, Nayru, Farore, I don't suppose we can set aside our differences?_', Ganondorf prayed fervently.

"LINK."

"SMASH."

* * *

5.1) - Gives a new meaning to "walk a mile in my shoes".

5.2) - It may only have one tail, but it has two massive tusks! (A nod to the Chakra Fox used by Naruto.)

5.3) - Read them and weep. Right now. Why are you not weeping yet? Have you forgotten how?

5.4) - "Prince Ali, Something something he, is Aladdin, blah blah."

5.5) - The Forces of the Iron Talon were led by their greatest infiltrator, Chicken Boo!

5.6) - The Swordsman Club - The Size of Your Sword Doesn't Matter, Only How Well You Stick It In The Other Guy.

5.7) - "How dare you speak to your mother that way?" "You're my daughter for this Loop." "Oh yeah, I forgot."

5.8) - Epona has a bone to pick with Ammy.

5.9) - Demise of Demise, by the Train Link Trained to Carry

5.10) - Puny Curse of Hatred


	6. Chapter 6

**LEGEND OF ZELDA TIME LOOPS: ENTER THE IMPA!**

Disclaimer: I do not own these Loops, nor do I own the characters in them. These characters are their own people and they deserve rights! Rights for the Characters! Rah! Rah! Rah!

(Seriously though, I don't own this, don't make money on it, so just enjoy.)

* * *

6.1 - (Mivichi)

* * *

"You serve Hyrule!" shouted the prince angrily at the white-haired Sheikah standing between his pet magician and the teenaged Princess Zelda. "Supporting her will lead to its fall!"

Impa did not remove her eyes from the magician and held her enchanted daggers in a guard position. She had already rendered the Great Hall's guard detail thoroughly unconscious with the use of a specific pressure point. The prince had neither the magic nor martial ability to be a threat, and he was on the magician's far side besides. "No, Highness," Impa rebuked her former charge, "your lust for the Triforce is already well on its way to doing so."

Part of her wondered yet again if she should have removed the prince from her worries before the legendary upheaval began, but no, Impa refused to be that much of a monster.

The normal timeline's history had not spoken of any Impa being involved. Impa reasoned that if that fact had changed, perhaps the prince would be different as well. Her gamble had failed.

Compounding the problem, the magician had enough power and skill to truly be an issue. He could have been an incarnation of Vaati or of Ganon; his robes concealed his appearance too well for Impa to be sure. At least he showed no signs of being Awake.

The prince sneered at Impa. With a grand gesture, he pronounced, "You are a shortsighted fool! Magician, get rid of-"

"One moment, please," Zelda suddenly interrupted. She raised a hand as if she were in a schoolroom. "I've got… Excuse me, I must converse with my nursemaid regarding our current course of action. It would be best for all of us if we resolved this peacefully."

The prince, the magician, and Impa all turned to stare at Zelda. "You have finally come to your senses, sister?" the prince asked finally, disbelief warring with hope.

"I feel as though I have freshly Awaken," Zelda replied honestly with a hard stare at Impa.

The prince crossed his arms. "Fine, you may have five minutes to talk if Impa disarms herself."

Zelda sent Impa a look that brooked no argument. Impa might have argued with an Unawake Zelda, but serving any incarnation of Zelda was Impa's eternal duty. Impa dropped her enchanted daggers from her hands, then unloaded another pair from the sheaths on her back, throwing knives from the inside of her vest, poisoned needles from her pockets and belt pouches, and a hunting knife from her right boot.

It was far from her full supply of weapons, not that anyone else would know.

Both the prince and the magician stared at the pile of weaponry with some alarm. With a somewhat shakier voice, the prince declared, "If either of you attempt to escape, the magician will kill Impa immediately."

"Understood," Zelda replied before taking hold of Impa's arm and dragging Impa's head down to her height. In a hissed whisper, she demanded to know, "Impa, are you a looper?"

Unfortunately, Impa could see no way to deny it. "I am," she reluctantly admitted, "and I have been for some time."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me! Has it only been my loops, or-?"

"No, I have seen those of Link and of Ganon as well, along with what I believe is called a Star Trek loop. A Mr. Spock gave me 'the talk'."

"And you decided to handle loops like a Trekker," Zelda said with sudden understanding. Most Star Trek loopers held to a looping version of the Prime Directive, changing the course of local events as little as possible. "Well, except for this time, if my loop memories are accurate."

"To some extent," Impa allowed. "Usually, I confine myself to subtlety and subterfuge."

Zelda sent Impa a look of amused disbelief. "Really." She gestured at their surroundings.

The castle's largest room had suffered significant structural damage. The fallen guards littered the floor, and the area between Zelda and the prince had largely been reduced to rubble.

Impa grimaced. "My methodology this loop lacked my normal finesse. Some of my baseline abilities have become unexpectedly rusty."

"And if you used your other abilities, the current situation is not a problem?" Zelda asked pointedly.

"As you wish," Impa conceded.

Without turning around, she withdrew two phasers from her subspace pocket and shot behind her. She did not need to look to know that she had killed the magician and knocked out the prince, though she checked to be sure. It was only prudent.

Zelda craned her head around Impa. Contemplatively, the princess noted, "I would have thought that magical shields defended against energy weapons."

Impa unbent her body and relaxed into parade rest after re-pocketing her phasers. "Mine are blessed."

"Ah. Makes sense." Zelda nodded wisely. "So. Will you stop Trekking around Link and myself when we are awake?"

Impa reluctantly agreed. "I will, at least, let you know when I am awake," she promised.

Zelda nodded. "Good." She grinned impishly. "Then, to make up for previous loops, let's see what we can do with this one. I do so rarely Awaken before being placed into the enchanted sleep."

Impa placed one hand on her hip and tilted her head. She said nothing, but the smirk on Zelda's face was far from reassuring.

* * *

6.2

* * *

Ganondorf stood in the top of his tower, watching as once again, the Helmaroc King carried in the younger sister of Link. He toyed with the idea of killing her before the Hero got here to torment him, but ultimately discarded it. If this version of Link was awake, it would likely just send him into a berserk fury that would end with pieces of the Forsaken Fortress raining down all across the Great Sea. Ganondorf shuddered. Link's subspace pocket was full of bombs. So many bombs.

The door behind him creaked, and he turned, to see a moblin wander into the room. It rambled over, a scroll clutched in its hands. Ganondorf rolled his eyes. They had likely shot down one of the postmen again and found out that the letter wasn't edible. He grabbed the letter from the stupidly staring Moblin and was somewhat surprised to see his name written on the outside. Slowly, he unrolled the scroll. On it was written a single word.

*Doink*

Ganondorf barely had time to curse before he dropped to the floor, slowly turning to stone. Link grinned as he removed the Moblin Ring from his finger, then pulled off the Stone Mask. He had tested this combo with Zelda, and even when she was actively trying to contact him through the Triforce, she couldn't distinguish him from a normal Moblin. He then stored away his Master Kitchen Knife. The hardest part of setting this up had been getting a Kitchen Knife away from a Tonberry, but the repeated deaths had been worth it for seeing Ganondorf's face. If he spent the next few Loops killing Ganondorf while a Moblin, he could probably get Ganondorf to kill Moblins on sight.

* * *

6.3 - (OracleMask)

* * *

"You foolish wizard!"

Saruman nearly jumped out of his many-colored robes as the dark-skinned and red-haired form of Sauron Dragmire, Dark Lord of Mordor, materialized inches away from him inside Orthanc. While he somehow managed to keep outwardly composed, inside the Istari was swearing up a storm. All his plans for Middle-Earth, for Mordor and the Ring...ruined! But he would make Sauron pay dearly in the battle, and who in Middle-Earth was to say that Saruman had not sacrificed himself nobly for the good of all? Gandalf's words would be taken as slander, and Saruman's reputation would be inviolate. An excellent way to end things.

"You think you are worthy to usurp my power and overthrow me when you have an army as pitiful as this? Well, we will soon fix that."

...Instead of attacking, Saruman blinked as Sauron magically summoned up diagrams, charts, and a scale model of Orthanc.

"First, the matter of your base of operations! I see you have constructed tunnels under your tower, but they are far too small! What you must do is -"

* * *

" - and while the creation of Uruk-Hai is truly clever, you have crippled their fighting prowess with shoddy weapons and armor! You must use better quality steel from now on. I will loan you a blacksmith from Harad, and you will have two days to learn the proper techniques from him."

Saruman tried not to show his confusion and excitement he frantically took notes.

"Next, consider your air support. If you truly wish to take Mordor, you will need to account for the fell beasts that guard my skies!"

Ganondorf, meanwhile, was hiding a wicked smile. Teaching these so-called villains how to conquer and rule was very entertaining. And in this case, not only did it save him from having to deal with yet another victorious hero emerging from the wilderness with a blessed blade, but if Saruman actually managed to succeed in his plans for the Free Peoples...Ganondorf might even get a decent fight out of him later.

* * *

6.4 - (Indalecio)

* * *

It was night, and a shadowy figure walked away from the head office of Cyberdyne Systems. When it was far enough away, it removed what looked like a mask, revealing a, young blonde man in jeans and a green hoodie.

Link sighed. Using the Glados mask as a way to deal with Skynet hadn't gone as planned.

Oh well. Maybe he'd try something different if he ever got the chance.

* * *

John Connor woke from what seemed to be a very long sleep. He was in glass and plastic pod. Cheesy elevator music played from somewhere near him. Pushing open the pod, he got up and saw he was in a small room with see-through walls and a door. Beside him, he could see the music was coming from a small radio.

As he pondered how he got to be there, a voice echoed inside the chamber.

"Hello and welcome again to the Cyberdyne Systems Enrichment Center. We hope your stay in the Relaxation chamber has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed and we're now ready to begin the test proper."

Throughout the rest of his life, John kept wondering what set of circumstances had led up to this.

* * *

6.5 - (Mivichi)

* * *

Today's Chore - Dungeon Upkeep

* * *

Clad in fire-proof red clothes, Link aimed with his hookshot at a suitable target above. Zelda, also in red, clung with her arms around his neck as he pulled them up to a higher ledge.

A magma-veined giant centipede awaited them. Zelda released her grip before Link. Lightly dropping to the ground, she equipped a bow. A bomb arrow shot down the monster's maw. The bow disappeared as Zelda turned away and pulled her shawl over her mouth.

The centipede shuddered, turned to stone, and then exploded. Ash liberally coated Zelda's dress and blonde hair, turning both a dusty gray.

Link, releasing the hookshot, landed as lightly as Zelda had. He stepped over the rocky remnants of the centipede and peered over the opposite side of the ledge. "Yeah, this is the Fire Temple entrance all right," he said dryly.

Outside, it had looked like a normal mountain. Inside, it proved to be an active volcano. Platforms and unstable bridges crisscrossed the interior, underneath which a pool of lava glowed.

Link's experienced eyes tracked the routes. "The standard jump boosting item should be in there," he said, pointing to a doorway at the end of one bridge. The ledge it was next to another ledge just a little too far to reach with a normal jump.

Jabbing his finger at a entryway near the top of the chamber, he continued, "And that's where the temple guardian will be." He shook his head. "You know, until we had fused loops, I thought finding dungeons in volcanos was normal."

"Just like depending on ten-year-olds to save the world, correct?" Zelda responded with a grin as she brushed the dust off of herself. "Even better, this one is obviously designed for two people." Several of the doors had bars on them and a switch on each side.

Link laughed. "You were expected, 'sis'," he joked.

Loop memories had them growing up together as brother and sister. Clues they had uncovered so far said otherwise. The loop appeared to follow the 'hidden heir' archetype: Ganondorf had taken over Hyrule and disposed of the entire royal family nine years ago, but rumor said that the young princess had survived.

Zelda chuckled. "Does that mean I finally get loot this time?" she snarked. "Well, let's get on with calming the mountain and rescuing the ranch. Too bad we can't launch off some spells and be done with it, but…"

"...Not a good idea to make an avatar of Din angry around anything hot," Link agreed. He clambered over the side of the ledge and down the convenient handholds carved down the mountain's interior. "We need to get back that ring."

His voice rose in volume as he descended. "Honestly, Malon's mother scares me. She might only be half-Gerudo, but she has their temper! If she's normally like this, I'm glad it's the first time I met her."

"It's the first time for me, too," Zelda noted as she provided Link cover, taking out a swarm of fire keese with a slingshot and an ice spell. "You would think we would have met her before in some loop variant, but I only ever see her with Talon and Epona."

Zelda stepped off the ledge and dropped straight down. She pulled out a Deku leaf and slowed her fall enough to land safely next to Link.

Link scratched the back of his head. "It doesn't mean anything, right?"

"Probably," Zelda agreed as she surveyed the next part of the path.

A rope bridge extended over the chasm in front of them. It wasn't very sturdy. They traded looks.

Bowing mock-courteously, Link gestured towards it. "Ladies first."

She teleported to the other side. Turning back towards Link, she curtsied just as mockingly. "Can't keep up?" Zelda asked sweetly.

"It's on," he promised, and the race began.

* * *

6.6 - (Mivichi)

* * *

Malon hummed happily as she drew another line on the blueprint. The sound echoed beautifully off of the organometallic walls of her workshop. This promised to be another useful invention. Being a genius was the best, thought the part of her not busy thinking of twenty different things to try before teatime.

"Malon? What dat?" Link asked worriedly, then frowned. "I mean, 'what's that?'" Under his breath, he muttered, "Stupid Nornish verbal tics."

Malon cackled. Giggled. It was definitely a giggle, Link tried to reassure himself.

Link did not manage to do so. The mad scientist laugh sent off all sorts of internal alarm bells. He rubbed his right ear, which was larger and much more sensitive than it was when he was a Hylian. His species, called Norns, were short, furry, big-eyed, all-around cute, and generally stupid. Norns normally walked around fur-clad - brown, in his case - but he had insisted on wearing a variation of his normal outfit even after Malon sown in a dozen gadgets that he was frankly scared to test.

"Malon," he sighed, "please tell me this isn't going to be a formative loop for you."

She peered over the holographic screen at him. Her change in species from human to Shee had given a broader nose, ears longer than a Hylian, enormous eyes, and a light coat of white fuzz. It had also given her a preference for wearing robes that were a cross between a dress and a white lab coat, not to mention the near-insanity and extraordinary intelligence characteristic of her species.

In this loop, Malon was the Lone Shee, a genius among geniuses, so entranced by inventing that she had missed her race abandoning their home planet and had to build a living spaceship to play catch-up. Whatever the normal power source was, in their current loop, the Lone Shee had created a functional warp portal that was subsequently jury-rigged to siphon energy from the Triforce in the Sacred Realm.

The ship had launched via supervolcano, which made a mess of the cataclysmic kind on the (almost certainly entirely) abandoned planet. The Lone Shee rarely acted with any restraint. Her sheer intelligence had seemingly killed and buried her common sense.

This behavior remained unchanged even after Malon Awakened. Shortly afterwards, it had become apparent that Ganondorf had awakened in the body of a Grendel - the mean, reptilian, and extremely dangerous counterpart of Norns. Malon had immediately conceptualized biomechanical devices that she insisted would force him into hibernation for the duration of the loop if she could get them built.

She had done it, too, as easily as cracking an egg. That the devices also played orchestral music and smelled faintly of hazelnut butter were, Malon had insisted, completely necessary for the setup to function.

Now she was making… something.

"Nothing is wrong with this loop!" Malon protested cheerfully. "I've been having lots of fun. With a few more trials, I think I can figure out how to gene-splice with magic so I can do it in other loops." She poked at her blueprint again. "This will be an aquarium for my future Octo-Cuccos."

Link ran that phrase over in his head. It did not change what he had heard. "You're making bomb-spitting aquatic birds with tentacles?"

Malon looked horrified. "No! Of course not!" she vehemently denied. "Bombs would crack the glass." She fluttered her hands to illustrate. "These will only spit rocks."

"So the tentacles…?"

She bemusedly shrugged. "Of course they'll have those. Why wouldn't they?"

Link smacked his palm over his eyes. He turned around and hit a button on a teleporter set for the Norn Meso.

* * *

Appearing in the middle of Zelda's private garden, he stated firmly, "Alright, time for an intervention."

Zelda, currently a purple Norn clad in a pastel yellow dress, shifted away from her potted berry bush and politely smiled at Link in a way that he translated as 'I told you so'. "Oh?"

Link nodded unhesitatingly. Having Malon wrapped up in her current genius, that he could handle.

But Octo-Cuccos? She was going too far.

* * *

6.7

* * *

Zelda dove over a fallen log, tucking and rolling on the other side. As she sprang upright, she twisted to the side, just as an arrow flew by her head. Behind her, she could hear the grunting cries of the Moblins that were chasing her. She quickly raced around the trees, sidestepping the underbrush as she tried to lose her pursurers.

She had Awoken just over a day ago. In this life, she was apparently a member of a traveling circus troupe, led by her adoptive mother, Impa. She had been raised as an Sheikah, though her ears hinted at her Hylian heritage. She performed as a dancer in the circus performances. She didn't recognize this life, so she was glad for something new. However, when she pinged the Triforce, she discovered a large problem.

The Triforce was gone. It still existed, a distant pulsing presence, but the close connection she was so used to relying on was gone. She couldn't remember any of her past lives from this Loop, and she couldn't feel if Link or even Ganondorf were Awake. She had panicked, and reached for her subspace pocket, only to find that that was also inaccessible. It was while she was in the middle of her panic attack that the Moblins attacked.

It started with a fiery meteor falling from the sky. It crashed into the main performance stage, knocking the musicians that were practicing off the stage. From the fiery mess rose the tallest Moblin Zelda had ever seen. It was a veritable mountain of muscle, and it caused the hair on Zelda's neck to stand on end when it bellowed out a roar of challenge. In response, Moblins seemed to hurtle from the shadows, pouring through the camp and attacking the performers. Zelda had barely had time to see Impa leap up to face the beast on the stage when a pair of moblins charged around the edge of a tent, and Zelda had to set off running to dodge away from the arrows they started firing at her.

Which led to her current predicament, racing through a tunnel formed by the roots of trees, keeping one step ahead of the Moblins pursuing her. Zelda slowed, listening for the sound of pursuit. "I think their goh no I jinxed it!" Sure enough, a moblin dropped out of the tree in front of her, hollering and waving its spear. Zelda stumbled backwards, falling against the trunk of the tree, which cracked once, then gave way. Zelda fell, down, down, down, into the dark.

* * *

Zelda slowly stirred. She could feel something soft underneath her, bobbing up and down. *slish, slosh, slish, slosh* She twisted onto her side, and, with a startled yelp, rolled off of the lily-pad she was laying on and into the water. She surfaced, spluttering, and started to tread water as she took in the cave she had apparently landed in. Glittering gems covered the walls, glowing in faint light, and most of the cavern appeared to be filled with water. The sole exception was a small island near the center. She began to paddle over to it, thanking her time as Tetra teaching her all the tricks for how to swim.

The island was made of solid stone, but small bushes grew through the cracks in the rock. In the center of the island sat a small stone statue underneath a slanted stone roof. The statue was feminine, with its hands cupped out in front of it and a pair of fairy wings extending from the back. Her Loop memories told her that this was a Fairy Sanctuary. She had visited one with Impa in the past, but she couldn't remember much about what had happened, or what a Fairy Sanctuary was supposed to do. However, if it gave her a way to contact the Great Fairies, it might just give her some tools to survive this Loop.

Nothing happened as she approached the statue, and she realized that there was a ring, nestled in the palms of the fairy statue. She recalled the Rules of the Dungeon that Link had introduced her to. "Dungeon Tip Number 4: If you can pick it up, it is probably important. Number 5: If you can't pick it up, come back later, you might be able to then." Smiling lightly, Zelda reached forward and poked the ring. Nothing. Slowly, she picked it up out of the hands of the statue.

It was a fairly ordinary silver band, with a sparkling yellowish stone inset in the top. She examined it for a moment, then, slowly, slid it onto her finger.

*FLASH*

"Ahahahahaha!" A familiar laughter filled the sanctuary as Zelda blinked away the sparkles from her eyes. Sure enough, one of the Great Fairies was now floating above her, smiling.

"Long have we waited, guarding the Sorcerer's Gauntlet, for the Hylian Princess to return and restore the power of the goddesses to the land." The Great Fairy twisted in midair. "Will you take this quest, to awaken the other Great Fairy's, reclaim the Stones of Power, and break the seals of darkness that threaten to envelop the land?"

Zelda nodded, lifting her hand to her heart, only to stop, startled. The ring had transformed, turning into a silvery gauntlet which enveloped her entire hand and partway up her forearm. A stylized design was engraved in the back, with the yellow gemstone embedded in the middle. Six empty spaces circled around the gemstone, connected by shining lines. Hylian runes glowed softly across the face of the gauntlet, and Zelda squinted to try and interpret what they were doing.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

Zelda jumped and turned to face the Great Fairy, who had floated up to the point where she was floating right over Zelda's shoulder. The Great Fairy laughed and spiraled up into the air, and, in response, fairies seemed to pour out of the woodwork, flitting around the cavern and darting across the surface of the water around the island.

Zelda smiled, then frowned. "What happened to Hyrule? What do you mean 'seals of darkness'"?

The Great Fairy settled, slowly, and then sighed, deep and sad. "It is a long tale. I suppose, that it begins with the fall of the Twilight King Zant, and the death of the one known as Ganondorf."

* * *

"Peace had just been settled after the Princess of Twilight and the Hero's of Time's descendant defeated the madness of the Twili. The lands returned to normal and all seemed well. But, the ancient curse of hatred was not so easily defeated. The hatred manifested itself and sought to destroy the kingdom. Gathering sages from the races of Hyrule, the Queen of the time managed to seal away the darkness beneath the palace. Peace, it seemed, was restored.

However, the seal was not perfect. Years later, the great-grand daughter of the Queen came to the throne. At first, it seemed that her rule would continue the peace of those that came before. However, the hatred of the Dark King slipped free of the seal and began to corrupt the Queen. When her only daughter fell ill, she was at first sorrowful, before becoming consumed by a desire to find a cure. However, no cure could be discovered. Finally, in her madness, she sought to use the Triforce to restore her daughter. However, the corruption of the hatred of the Dark King had thrown her heart out of balance, and the Triforce was shattered as she tried to grasp it. She truly lost herself in grief, and lashed out, destroying the palace and the surrounding town.

Descendants of those who originally sealed the hatred away gathered, and they once again bound the hatred, along with the queen, deep beneath the palace. However, the royal line of Hyrule was no-more and the Triforce was gone, its pieces scattered to unknown places. Chaos fell on the land, as people rose up to battle against each other, striving to claim the right to rule.

Eventually, King Langstron rose, from the town of Ordon. He claimed to be a descendant of the great heroes of old, and he led his army to crush his enemies, eventually uniting most of the lands under his leadership. The Kings have now ruled from Ordon for three generations, while the tales of Hyrule have slipped from memory and into myth."

* * *

Zelda nodded. All of that seemed to ring true with her memories of Impa, telling her about the glory of Hyrule and other stories. Thinking of Impa reminded her of the attack, and she turned to bow to the Great Fairy. "I thank you for this gift, but I must check on my family. They were assaulted by Moblins, and they will need my help."

The Great Fairy smiled, before gesturing with her arms. Several of the fairies looped around Zelda, before trailing out and circling above the water. In the middle of the circle, ripples gathered and broke, and an image appeared in the water. Impa and several of the other Sheikah were gathered, picking up pieces of the stage. They all appeared to be fine, though weary and wounded from their battle.

"I will send a fairy to relay that you are safe, but you, daughter of Hyrule, must journey to the ruins of the old palace. I fear that the monsters that attacked your circus are but a sign of things to come. The darkness stirs, and you must restore the light of the Triforce to battle it, or all will be lost to the hatred of the Dark Queen." The Great Fairy gestured, and the gemstone in the gauntlet on Zelda's hand glowed. "To this end, we gift you with the power of the Fairy Topaz. With its power, you can cast a bolt of light, which will weaken and destroy monsters born of darkness. You can also call on the wisdom of the Fairies to help guide you. You must seek out the other stones, reclaim the power of the Triforce, and ensure that the seal on the darkness remains strong."

Zelda nodded. "I will."

"Then go." And with that, light rushed up around Zelda, and she was off, on to her own adventure.

* * *

6.8 - (Crisis)

* * *

Zelda was in another fused Loop analogous to the 20th century Hub, with no idea as to what was supposed to be happening.

Milling about as she prepared dinner – quietly thanking Impa for making sure she learned such skills during those times when the two were on the run – she decided to turn on the news and see what was going on that looked like a local plot hook.

"Breaking news:" a voice talked over a sensation-type image, "pagan rituals on the rise as children around the world dress up in strange costumes and blackmail homeowners for candy. Film at eleven."

'This sounds like a great Loop to take a vacation to some deserted tropical island and work on my tan,' Zelda thought to herself.

* * *

6.9

* * *

Link crept through the corridors of Ganondorf's fortress. So far, he hadn't seen too many guards, though there did seem to be a few more jars and pots that were usually contained in the fortress. Link hadn't broken any yet, as Ganondorf had pinged as Awake and would probably have trapped them. However, old habits die hard, and so Link slowly approached one of the pots.

It was full of dirt. Link was leaning a bit closer to examine the dirt, when there was a brief flash of light, and a small plant popped into existence. It was an odd mix of green, blue, and red, with a small pair of leaves at the base of its stem. It was topped by a sort of trumpet shaped opening, connected to a ball that looked oddly like a bomb flower. What really caught Link's attention were the pair of small beady eyes on the ball, which were staring at him with a great deal of focus.

*pffpht* Link barely had time to bring his shield up as the plant fired something small, green, and hissing at him.

* * *

Ganondorf smiled on his throne as he felt the floor shudder slightly underneath him. In his hand, he held a small packet marked "Bloom and Doom Seed Co." It was truly amazing, he thought, what you could get when you cross-pollinate a peashooter with a bomb flower. Throwing his head back, Ganondorf laughed as his fortress shook with the sound of explosions.

* * *

6.1 - Sta~ar trekkin', all across Hyrule. Got to protect the princess, to prevent Ganon's rule!  
6.2 - Moblinberries.  
6.3 - Your rebellion has been hijacked by Ganon.  
6.4 - Here is your companion cube. Go with it, if you want to live.  
6.5 - Link has a Mastery in Dungeon Architecture  
6.6 - It's not mad science. It's Malon Science!  
6.7 - First portion of an Epic Loop. Zelda gets to try the hero garb on for size.  
6.8 - "Reports indicate that shrines are chosen by hurling unborn chickens at them."  
6.9 - Thus the revenge of the pots begins...


End file.
